The Third World
by Rainbowmnms
Summary: Gehenna, Assiah...and Caelum? Grace may seem like your average teenager on the outside, but she has a secret. She's been sent on a mission to watch over a certain Son of Satan, Rin Okumura. Who was she sent by? The single greatest threat to Satan: God. In other words, her father she's never met. She and Rin are complete opposites, but you know what they say: opposites attract.
1. I'll Tell You My Story

**A/N: Thanks for clicking on my story! This is my first Blue Exorcist fanfic, so don't hate me if it sucks. It's based off of the anime only, (I haven't read the manga yet). Enjoy! :)**

* * *

I'm going to tell you my story, so don't stop reading this just because you get bored. I wouldn't be going through the trouble of writing my _entire _story down if I didn't want you to read through the whole damn thing. Yeah, it's a long story…suck it up. I'm not one to go easy on people, so you, reader, should keep on reading. Do your job! I get it; there are a lot of words. I probably hate words just as much as you do, and yet you still see me sitting here writing all of it down. If _I'm_ writing it, _you_ can read it.

I'm not really good at this, so I'll just cut straight to the chase. Hmm, let's see. My name is Grace Sato. I'm seventeen years old this year. I'm an orphan, so I grew up in a shit-hole of an orphanage. I ran away a while back, actually when I was pretty young, and I've been living on my own ever since. Oh, I almost forgot…I'm an angel. Yeah, yeah…you're probably thinking that I'm crazy, but it's true. It's common knowledge that demons exist alongside humans in Assiah, but what's a little lesser known is that there is a third world: Caelum. That's where I'm from. Well, technically I'm not _from _there. I was born in Assiah, but my father, well…he's what humans call God.

I've never really spoken to my father. I was told that when I was young I was put on the orphanage steps. Whoever my mother was didn't even bother to leave a note. Honestly, I don't even want to know who she is. I'm fine the way my life is now and I don't need any interruptions. The only connection I have to my father is Cho. She's my bird…a falcon to be precise. Yeah, laugh it up. The bird-girl has a bird. Anyways, Cho occasionally brings me messages from my father. They're always orders: kill this demon, find this script, and so on and so on. It's pretty much a giant pain in the ass.

Well, I guess you know enough of my backstory; now for a little bit about myself. I have snow-white hair and relatively pale skin. On top of that—as if that wasn't enough already—I have a pixie-like figure. Because of those three characteristics, people often say I look like a doll. Whenever someone calls me that, I have to fight the urge to drop kick them. I hate being called weak or incapable. In case you haven't already figured it out, I'm an easy-to-piss-off tomboy who totes around twin daggers and a sniper rifle.

You may be wondering how the whole 'angel' thing works. Let's see. I have minor self-healing capabilities, but I don't heal nearly as quickly as some demons. I'm able to heal minor external injuries that others sustain such as a ghoul's temptaint or revitalizing someone who has been hit with a demon's nasty fluids. Honestly, those stink really badly. I'm just glad the energy-draining liquids that leak out of demons don't affect me.

Just like demons are affected by holy water, I affect them. If I so choose to, simple contact with a demon can send them reeling. I guess that's probably because I'm the definition of holy. Meh, who knows? I have the ability to conceal my wings. This is more for practical purposes, though. People would either stare or scream and run away if a girl strutted down the streets with 8-foot-long white wings. I'd probably end up some science experiment in some human's laboratory. Not on my to-do-list. I'm just guessing here, but death doesn't sound that fun. Immortality? No, I don't have that. I live long than normal humans, but I'm still half-human. I won't live forever.

Finally, I'll tell you about how badass I am…because I can't leave that part out. I told you already, I have double daggers and a sniper rifle. I can't use my sniper rifle unless I reveal my wings. Basically, I fly up high and then take demons down long-range. When I can't reveal my wings, I use my daggers. Most of the blades used by exorcists—the humans—are demon blades. That's the difference with me. I use angel blades. They're more powerful and are more lethal towards demons. All together I'm pretty strong.

Well, now that I've told you all about me, it's time to get on with my story. I'll start a ways back, so try to keep up. Go on. Keep reading.

* * *

_ I was powerless. There was nothing I could do to help them. I was forced to simply watch in horror as the men below me were massacred. I wanted the help them, but there was nothing I could do. I was just one angel…there was no way I could go up against Satan himself and come out alive. _

_ I squeezed my eyes shut as I shrunk back in the rafters. I didn't want to see the blood and blue flames that burst from the people below me. I opened one eye, wrapping my wings tightly around myself for comfort. They were dirty. It was most likely soot that covered them, but I didn't have time to worry about that. I'd caught sight of something…or someone that needed my help. I got shakily to my legs, hoping that I wouldn't be noticed. I hesitated for a moment before I flew down from the rafters above, gliding down to the bloody floor. My wings beat powerfully to slow me down as I landed gracefully. I ran to the other side of the room, avoiding the men that were bursting into flames. _

_ Screams of pain and fear echoed throughout the room as I stuck my hand out, "Come on, you need to get out of here!" The man who was huddled in a corner looked up. _

_ "Wh-Who are you?" he asked, his voice cracking out of fear._

_ I just rolled my eyes and grabbed him. He tried to pull away, wanting to stay in his hiding place, but I was stronger. I yanked him out and ran with him. I was stronger than your average grown man, even at such a young age. My holy blood made my muscles that much stronger. I burst through the door, pulling the man behind me. _

_ "Angel!" screamed a voice. I looked behind me and saw a man, blue flames licking his entire body and blood dripping from his eyes. I whimpered. "Angel, save us!" he screamed. I felt a tear slide down my face as I turned away from him. I grabbed the man under the arm and launched myself into the air. He screamed out, his legs flailing. He was shaking, which made it hard for me to carry him. _

_ All that extra weight made it difficult for me to fly, but I put all of my strength into each of my wing beats. They powerfully sliced through the nice air, still illuminated by the blue flames that lit up the place we'd just escaped from. _

_ "Stop fidgeting…unless you want me to drop you!" I said. He was silent. "Where do you live?" I asked, looking down at the man. _

_ He looked up at me, crying, "Th-The temple." _

_ "Oh," I replied. When I felt that we were far enough away I landed as elegantly as I possibly could when carrying another person, (which was more like tumbling and then skidding a few feet over gravel). When I sat up I winced. A large gash from a sharp rock had opened up my arm. _

_ "You're hurt," said the man, coming over and kneeling beside me. He reached for my arm but I pulled away. I'd learned not to trust humans. They were fickle beings that could only hurt and destroy. _

_ "I won't hurt you. I want to help you…to return the favor that you just did for me," he said gently. I stared at him. I stumbled to my feet, my wings hanging limply at my sides. I summoned all the strength I had left and concealed them. The man gasped and stared at me. _

_ "It's rude to stare," I said, cradling my arm. _

_ "Pardon…it's just that I've never seen an angel before," he said, gesturing for me to come close. I guess I should have expected some stares, though. _

_ I warily let him touch my arm. I cried out when he touched my wound. "Sorry, sorry," he said quickly, "I'll be more careful." I nodded. This time he was gentle, careful not to hurt me. His hands were warm as he tended to my wounds. I found myself smiling. I didn't know that humans could be this gentle. When he was finished I nodded at him, "I should go." _

_ "Thank you," he said, staring at me, "You've saved me." My eyes went wide. I'd saved someone. I smiled at him, "You're welcome." With that I turned and left him there, staring after me in wonder. _

_ "Hey, what's your name?" he called after me. I turned, "Grace." _

_ He smiled, "My name is Tatsuma Suguro. I'll remember you!" I grinned to myself and turned, leaving him behind. I wondered where I should go from there. I didn't want to go back to the orphanage. The people there were cruel. No, I wouldn't go back there. It was time to run away._

* * *

I sighed, plopping down on the ratty couch that I had in my minuscule apartment. I was running low on money. If I didn't get a job I wouldn't be able to make rent by the end of the month. I sat up, brushing my hair out of my eyes. I pulled one of my knives out of its sheathe at my thigh and ran my thumb along the flat of the blade. I looked up, "Hey, Cho. What do you think? What kind of job should I get?"

I'd just gotten back to my apartment, so I hadn't noticed until just now. Cho had a note in her beak. I grabbed it from her and she cawed. I nodded, "Thanks, Cho. You're a big help." Her wings fluttered.

I unsealed the letter and pulled out a piece of paper. Just like always, elegant, golden letters were scrawled out on the high-quality paper. They were instructions for my next job.

_**You are to keep watch over one Rin Okumura and his brother, Yukio.**_

_**They are the sons of Satan. Make sure to alert me if**_

_**they are planning anything suspicious.**_

_**On your table is a package of information about**_

_**the brothers and the humans that you will need**_

_**to complete the mission.**_

_**Call the number inside and you will be admitted**_

_**to the 'Cram School' where the eldest is attending and the youngest is teaching.**_

_**Your primary focus is the eldest. He is more practiced with his powers.**_

_**Be safe.**_

I scoffed. Like he actually cared if I was safe. I stretched my arms above my head and meandered over to the small table that was in my sorry excuse for a kitchen. I picked up an orange envelope and peered inside. No doubt it was the one that my father had left for me. I dumped the contents onto the table and saw a series of files with pictures and details about several humans. On the bottom of the stack were the two brothers. I cracked open my fridge and pulled out a coke. I sat down and looked over the files.

I picked up a business card and frowned. I punched the number into my cell phone and waiting for an answer. "Helloooo?" said a sing-song voice. I pinched the bridge of my nose. This was not going to be fun.

"My name is Grace Sato. I'm told I'm being admitted to a cram school of some sort," I said exhaustedly. How had this man tired me out with a single word?

"AH! Grace Sato! The one who the higher ups said was to be admitted as an Exwire! You must be a special little lady to get a request from such important people!" said the man. I frowned. _You have no idea, guy. _

"Sure. Just tell me where I need to be and when," I said.

"Well I'm the one to ask, I am! My name is Mephisto Pheles! I am the director of True Cross Academy!" he said proudly.

"Yeah, cool…I don't remember asking you for your credentials, guy," I said, rubbing my temples, "This isn't a bragging contest." There was a moment of silence and then he said, "Yes, well I've been asked to pick you up. I'll be there tomorrow morning! Looking forward to meeting you!"

I heard a clicking sound and then a series of beeps. I shut my phone and sighed. He'd hung up on me. I picked up the files and studied them some more. This was really going to suck. I was going to be trained as an exorcist.


	2. And So It Starts

I flicked a coal tar as it floated past. A tiny puff of smoke drifted up as my touch disintegrated it. That was a brave little guy. Usually, coal tars stay away from me, sensing that just brushing against me would kill them immediately. I sighed, taking out my phone. I considered calling that annoying guy again, but thought better of it. I wanted to put off hearing his annoying voice again. Instead, I started playing Tetris. I got to level 10 before I heard a car pull up. I growled as my phone beeped, signifying that I'd lost.

I looked up and saw something that I didn't expect. I groaned and picked up my bag. Parked in front of me was a pink limousine. The horn emitted an annoyingly catchy tune which I was sure was going to be stuck in my head for at least a day. The window rolled down and a man's head popped out. His appearance matched his car perfectly. I noticed his pointed ears, "So, you're a demon?"

He nodded, "Correct! You're sharp!"

"It's kind of obvious…you reek of it," I replied, yanking the door open. I sat across from him as he rolled his window up again.

"That's offensive, you should watch what you say to me," he said. I stared at him, "Suuure." I sighed and stared out the window. I wanted to take out my files on the students where I was going, but I figured that would look suspicious to this guy. I doubted he knew what I was or why I was coming to his school. Dad had pulled a few strings for me and made it easy for me to enter, but that didn't mean this guy knew anything. He had said that he'd gotten the order from his higher ups. I figured he was clueless. Honestly, that's better.

"Take this," he said, handing me a key. I sensed some magic in it.

"Convenient," I mumbled.

"Then you know what it is?"

I nodded, "Can I get out now? You don't need to drive me anywhere. I'll just use this."

He frowned, "Fine. You're not a very kindhearted person, are you?"

I shot him an incredulous look, "Seriously? Did you just ask me that?"

"Or maybe you just try to hide the fact that you're kinder than most."

I growled and shoved the door open. I slammed it behind me and walked back towards the door to my building. "I'll put your luggage in your room! Do try to be nice to your classmates! I assume whoever sent you here knows about the Okumura brothers?" he called after me. I ignored him and turned the key in the hole. The door clicked. _That's why I was sent here, demon_.

I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me. I took a long look around. It was an impressive space. The ceilings were tall and the hallways were long. I started walking, my footsteps echoing. I ran my fingers along the edges of my knives. Their presence always made me feel more secure. My back itched. I usually didn't have to conceal my wings for this long.

I looked at the letters above each floor-to-ceiling door, searching for my classroom. Somehow I doubted that kids filling up every room here. It seemed pretty empty to me. Finally I found it. I placed my hand on the door handle and took a deep breath. _Welcome to hell, Grace_. I walked into the room and took in the view.

It was pretty much a shithole. I frowned. The paint on the walls was chipped and an old-school black board hung at the front of the wall. Most of the desks were empty. I immediately recalled the names of the students who sat in the occupied desks along with the teacher. Yukio Okumura, brother of Rin Okumura and son of Satan, paused and looked up at me, "Welcome. You must be Grace Sato. Sit anywhere you like."

I surveyed the room, crossing my arms over my chest. I let out a puff of air, blowing my bangs out of my face. Sitting solo was Ryuji Suguro. I grinned. I knew his father…actually, I'd saved his father's life when I was younger. I smirked as he glared at me. Shiemi Moriyama and Izumo Kamiki sat beside each other. Moriyama patted the set beside her, and I frowned. No way I was sitting next to someone like that. I took a step forward. I spotted Rin Okumura, my target, sleeping nonchalantly at the back of the room. I scowled. He was snoring loudly and drooling. I wondered why my father suspected him of coming up with an intricate plot…he seemed like a dumbass.

Sitting side by side were Konekomaru Miwa and Renzo Shima. They looked up at me and Shima leaned over to his friend, "Hey, she's pretty cute." My blood boiled. No one calls me cute. As I walked past them, on my way to sit near Rin for surveillance reasons, my hand reached to my thigh. I slipped my knife out of its sheath and stabbed in in between his fingers. It plunged into the desk.

"What the—" Shima cried.

"Next time you call me cute I won't miss," I said with a smile. I wrenched the knife out of the desk and sheathed it again. I sat down beside Rin who was now conscious.

"Miss Sato, please refrain from stabbing things in the classroom," said Yukio. _Psh. _

"Sure thing, teach," I said, banging my combat boots onto the desk. I tipped my chair back and yawned. _Damn, I'm already feeling sleepy. _

"Great, another crazy person," muttered Suguro.

"Thank you," I called to him. Rin laughed beside me.

"Rin Okumura," he said, sticking his hand out for me to shake. I eyed it for a few seconds. I grinned, an idea popping up in my head. _Man, I'm cruel_.

"Grace Sato," I replied, reaching for his hand. I took it. He cried out as his skin burned at my touch. It had occurred to me that it would seem suspicious if my touch burned him, but I didn't really care. I figured he was too dumb to figure out the truth. Either that or the truth was too inconceivable.

"What the—do you wash your hands in holy water?" he questioning, blowing on his burnt flesh. _Yep, too dumb..._

"Who knows?" I said, shrugging.

"Hey, sorry for calling you cute," said a voice. I turned and saw Shima leaning towards me and grinning. I nodded. "Cool knife, by the way," he said.

I grinned. At least the guy could recognize a good knife when he saw one. I guess I couldn't gold a grudge against him. I mean, he was trying to become an exorcist, right? He couldn't be all that bad if he wanted to destroy demons. "Thanks," I said, smiling. He looked excited that he was able to make me smile.

"Hey, stop talking. We're in the middle of class!" hissed Suguro.

"Calm down, Bon. You don't need to be so uptight," Shima retorted. I snickered. 'Bon' growled at us.

"Miss Sato, Mr. Shima…please pay attention. If you don't want to you're free to leave any time," said Yukio. I scowled and seriously considered taking him up on his offer.

* * *

Over the course of the next few hours, I'm pretty sure I fell asleep three different times. The first was when Teach was talking about a variety of medicinal herbs. I had no use for herbs considering the fact that I could pretty much snap my fingers and heal people. I drifted off due to a lack of interest. The second time I can't even remember what he was talking about, but I remember waking up when Konekomaru threw a pencil at me. I snapped awake and nodded to him gratefully. He smiled and leaned back. I looked to my left and saw Rin passed out on the desk, a puddle of drool dripping from his chin. I flicked his forehead and he sat up slowly.

I don't remember falling asleep the third time, but apparently I had. When I woke up I felt strangely comfortable. I opened my eyes slowly. I realized that I was leaning on Rin's shoulder. I looked up at him and saw that he was sleeping too. I snapped awake, rocketing away from him. I tumbled out of my chair and fell to the ground, hitting my ass hard.

"God damn," I groaned. I liked using that phrase. It made me happy to insult my mysterious father.

Shima laughed out loud and Konekomaru snickered. One of my feet was still propped up on my chair and the rest of my body was sprawled out across the ground. I sat up, rubbing the back of my head. "Idiot," grumbled Suguro. I stuck out my tongue just to piss him off. "Miss Sato, are you alright?" questioned a concerned and high-pitched voice.

I looked up and saw Moriyama standing over me. She knelt beside me and smiled. "I'm good. I've hit my head before," I sighed, getting to my feet and brushing the dust off of my uniform. Moriyama smiled and went to sit down again.

"Guess that explains your stupidity," said Suguro as the bell rang. I would thank God for the bell, but I wouldn't sink to that level.

"Wow, you're not nearly as nice as your father," I mumbled, walking past him. Suddenly I was slammed against the desk, the corner stabbing into my leg, "Ow! Asshat!"

"How do you know my father?" demanded Suguro. _Shit, I'm so dumb! Why did I let that slip out?_

"Uh, I…" my voice trailed off. Normally, I was good at lying, but for some reason I couldn't right now. I couldn't think of _anything_. That was unusual for me.

"Come on, Bon. Back off," said Shima, trying to pull him off of me.

"She said she knew my dad," he said angrily.

"What? Daddy issues?" I asked…not like I was one to talk. He growled and slammed me against the desk again. I grunted in pain.

"Mr. Suguro, I don't appreciate fights breaking out in my classroom," said Mr. Okumura. I silently thanked him. I wasn't about to tell Ryuji that I saved his dad's life all those years ago by flying him away from Satan's flames. That was a big no-no. I had to keep my identity secret. Only a select few know about angels. Those people are either solely lucky, having seen us by chance, or are extremely important humans. Suguro growled and let go of me.

I stared after him, wondering what his issues with his dad were. I didn't remember his father to be a bad guy. "Remembering anything that has to do with the Blue Night is rough for Bon," Konekomaru said.

I nodded, "Makes sense."

"Well, at least you're not as clueless as Rin. He didn't even know about the Blue Night when he first came here," said Shima.

I raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? How would you not know?"

Rin scratched the back of his neck, "I only found out about this whole demon thing recently, actually."

"Even though your dad is Satan?" I asked. Everyone tensed up and no one spoke. "What? Is that like a sensitive topic here?"

"Satan is not my real father," Rin said angrily.

I raised my hands, "Alright, sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

"Our real father was the Paladin. He passed away, though," said Yukio, standing beside me.

"Impressive," I said, though I figured if I took a Paladin on it wouldn't be that difficult to beat him, "Well, at least you have a father." I smiled at him.

"What's that mean?" asked Izumo. I sighed, "I grew up in an orphanage and ran away when I was eight."

Izumo stared at me, "Oh."

"It's ok. It's not something sad. Anyways, is there food here? I'm starving," I said, turning to leave the classroom. My wings were itching to get out. I was really looking forward to flying again. I flexed my arms to try and ease the soreness.

"So, where are you from?" asked Moriyama, walking beside me.

"Same place as Ryuji," I replied.

"What?" asked Shima, surprised. He walked up beside me and I looked at him, "What, what?"

"You grew up so close to us?" he asked as if his question were obvious.

I nodded, "I didn't get out much, though."

"Weird that we never saw you," he said, stroking his chin. It wasn't really that odd, though. I wasn't allowed to leave the orphanage grounds, so I didn't have any friends. All the kids in the orphanage avoided me because I looked strange. I sighed.

"So, this food I mentioned," I said, clapping Shima on the back.

"It's just ahead," he replied. I nodded. "Hey, after lunch we have physical training, so you shouldn't eat too much."

"No promises," I replied. Rin grinned, "The food here is pretty bad, unless you want to go to True Cross…where the meals are designed for rich kids."

"I'm poor, so I'm used to eating shitty food," I replied. He grinned. _Wait, what am I doing? I shouldn't make friends with the enemy! Stupid, stupid!_

"Hey, Miss Sato, can we be friends?" asked Moriyama. I stared at her, "Seriously?" She nodded hopefully. I sighed, "Sure thing, Moriyama."

She grabbed my arm, "Don't call me Moriyama. Call me Shiemi!"

I nodded, "Whatever." We walked down the hallway. I was strangely looking forward to physical training. I wouldn't have to sit around in a classroom for hours. I smirked.

_No, you have to be careful not to show your true self! _I scolded myself mentally, reminding myself that I couldn't have all the fun I wanted. Still, physical training was next.


	3. The Bunch of Tomatoes

"Listen up, kiddies," called the instructor. _Kiddies? Seriously? _ Shima leaned over to Bon and whispered, "At least he didn't call us 'kittens' right!"

Bon chuckled, "I'd be afraid if he did that." I nudged Shima and shot him a questioning look.

"This _particular _instructor gets booty-calls in the middle of class," snickered Shima. I raised an eyebrow, "Is that even allowed?"

"No," said Rin, coming to join our group.

"That's hilarious," I said, cracking a smile.

"I know, right! I sort of feel bad for the 'kitten' that he always rushed off t—" started Rin.

"Okumura! Sato!" shouted the teacher. I frowned, wondering why it was only Rin and I who were caught. "If you don't pay attention you could very well _die!_" the man shouted. I scoffed, crossing my arms. I didn't see me dying because of a lowly Naberius demon.

"Sorry," Rin called back as if he were used to it.

"Don't scoff, Naberius are dangerous," scolded Suguro.

I nodded, "Right, sorry." _I can't showcase how unconcerned I am. _

"Alright, this is your first real-battle training within the academy. We'll start off with Ms. Kamiki. Would you kindly step inside?" requested the teacher. Izumo nodded and pulled the door of the cage open. Standing on top of the cage was the instructor. He stood there vigilantly; ready to interfere if things started going downhill. "Let's see, who should go in with her…" pondered the instructor, tapping his chin. He pointed to Bon, "How about you. Go on, get in there." Bon sighed and stepped into the cage, shutting the door behind him.

"This'll be easy for Bon," whispered Konekomaru.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We had a little encounter with a Naberius during the Exwire test…he should remember its fatal verse," replied Shima. I nodded and turned to watch the fight.

"Are you prepared?" asked the instructor, looking down through the cage.

They both nodded. Bon turned to Izumo, "Alright, I need you to keep it occupied with your demons while I recite the verse." She nodded in agreement and they braced themselves. I leaned forward in anticipation.

"Don't worry about them. They'll be fine," said Rin.

"I'm not worried…I'm excited for my turn," I replied defensively.

"Wow…that's straightforward," he said, turning to watch. _I can't help my blunt attitude! _

The instructor pulled a lever and the door to where the Naberius was chained up swung open. I heard a sickening dripping sound and the smell reached me. A greyish-brown appendage wrapped around the entrance, reaching out of the darkness. I grinned. _I wonder how these Exwires will do against a Naberius. _

The demon's head loomed out of the darkness. Bon immediately started reciting the verse. The demon hissed and lunged towards Bon. His eyes went wide as he was slammed against the side of the cage. "Ouch," I muttered.

"What are you doing?" Bon yelled to Izumo. She nodded and dropped her blood onto two pieces of paper, "Oh Goddess Inari, I humbly appeal to…"

Suddenly, two whites foxes burst forth, rocketing towards the demons. They scratched and bit the monster, but it didn't seem too fazed. It was, however, momentarily distracted by Izumo's demons. I grinned. Nicely done.

Bon stood up and chanted those final words, "This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written!"

The demon froze and then screamed out in pain. It exploded into black mush and then vanished. "Yeah, Bon!" Shima yelled, clapping.

"Nice one, Miss Kamiki!" shouted Shiemi.

"Perfect execution! Who's next?" asked the instructor. I raised my hand eagerly, practically bouncing up and down. "Alright, Miss Sato, step inside," he said. I smirked and opened the cage. It sort of smelled and there was some slime on the ground still.

"Who'll go with her?" the teacher asked.

"Whaaaat? I have to have a partner?" I whined, my shoulders sagging.

"Yes. Exorcists work together. If you want to be an exorcist, you'll have to get used to teamwork," he said sternly. _Yeah, well I don't want to be an exorcist, kitten-craving geezer! _I pouted, crossing my arms.

"I'll do it with her!" called Shima. I frowned at him as he stepped into the cage with me. "I mean…not _do _it…I mean, I—" he stuttered. His face was bright red and he wouldn't look directly into my eyes.

"Shut up, Shima," I said, patting his arm. Ok, so that was a little harsh. I was just angry that he was in here with me…I didn't hate him personally.

"Right, sorry," he said nervously.

"So, are you an Aria?" I asked. He nodded shyly. _Why are you being shy, weirdo? _

"Alright, then leave it to me," I said, looking away from him and at the door where my opponent would come from.

"What?" he asked, stunned.

"I said leave it to me. No matter what happens, don't move from this spot. Don't chant some verse or do _anything_. Got it? Good. I don't want this thing to end too quickly. Let's have a little fun, yeah?" He stared at me and I nodded.

"Ready?" called the instructor. "Always," I replied. I faced the gate as it swung open.

The Naberius crept out of the shadows and stared at me. "Don't you think we should attack it?" Shima asked nervously. I noticed that he was holding a monk's staff. I frowned. _If he does anything I'll definitely stab him. _

The demon was completely out of the shadows now. The cage was pretty spacious, so I wasn't going to attack yet. I fingered the hilts of my daggers, readying myself. The monster turned to me and snarled, its nasty fluids dripping from its mouth. I grinned at it. It cocked its head. I stared it down and it stared back at me. Shima nudged my arm, "Grace…I'm getting nervous here!"

"Shuddup, Shima," I hissed, not breaking eye contact with the demon. I grinned as it sprang towards me, growling and drooling. I didn't flinch as it charged us. "Grace…" I ignored him.

"What are you doing? You'll get killed!" Bon shouted. I ignored him too. "Miss Sato!" cried Shiemi. I grinned. I waited. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four…five… "GRACE!" shouted Shima. I grinned. The demon was on top of us now. I shoved Shima to the side, and rolled out of the way. The demon slammed into the cage wall behind us. I instinctively ran up the wall, flipping off of it and landing on the demon's back. "What are you—" cried Shima. I shut him out. The demon was on its feet now—me on top of it—and whirling around. It tried to shake me off, but I didn't lose my balance. My daggers were still sheathed.

"Ms. Sato!" cried the instructor. Clearly he couldn't stop me, though. If he killed the demon he might end up hitting me. I grinned. My plan was perfect. I drew my daggers and crouched down on the thing's back. I held my daggers against its throat and pulled hard, ripping its throat open. It bellowed and I leapt off of it. I charged me again. I ran towards it and slid on my knees between its two tree-trunk-thick legs, sliding my daggers along its entire underbelly. I'd slit it open from top to bottom. It fell to the floor with a thump and I stood over it, sheathing my daggers after wiping the demon-juice off.

"Angel," it moaned. My eyes went wide and I kicked it to make sure it was dead for real this time. _Dumb demon…knows I'm an angel. _

I looked up to see everyone staring at me. Shima had a weird look on his face. Admiration? Awe? I grinned at him, crossing my arms behind my head.

"That was awesome!" Rin yelled enthusiastically. He was the first one to speak. I nodded, "Yeah, I know. It was also pretty damn fun." I stepped out of the cage, checking myself for any evidence of my fight with the Naberius. I'm not talking about injuries, of course…I'm talking about smelly fluid stains. The door screeched closed behind me. Rin came up to me and punched my shoulder lightly, "That was great."

"Thanks…but I don't think everyone else liked it as much," I said, glancing around at everyone. I sighed. They were all still slack-jawed. I mentally punched myself ten times in the face. I shouldn't have done that. How could I have been so stupid? Well, they probably just think I'm strong…they won't suspect anything.

"Are you a demon too?" asked Izumo.

It was my turn to be slack-jawed, "Whoa…that's the conclusion you come to? Do I look like I have a tail and horns?"

Shima glanced at my ass. I slapped his face lightly, "That was _so _not permission for you to admire my ass."

He turned red, "How did you do that, though?"

"I've been training every day since I was a kid, actually," I said. I didn't bother mentioning to them that some of what I'd just done was my natural talent. By 'natural talent' I mean being descended from his ultimate holiness.

"That was amazing!" said Konekomaru, finally snapping out of his daze.

"Hey, look who decided to come out of his mini coma!" I said, patting his shaved head. He shrugged me off. We were about the same height, so I had to reach up to pat his head.

"Don't pet me," he protested. I grinned.

I glanced up and saw Bon staring at me. I frowned, "What?" He just shrugged, "I was just going to say that what you did in there was pretty cool."

My eyes practically bugged out of my skull, "What's this? Is Mr. Grumpington Von Grumpster the Third actually giving me a compliment?!"

"No! And what the hell was with that name? What's wrong with your head?" he asked.

"I thought I told you…I hit it a lot," I said, and then on second thought I put on a false teary face and whimpered, "Actually, when I was in the orphanage the Matron always used to throw me at walls!" I fake-cried. Really horribly, might I add.

Bon scoffed and turned away from me, "That would explain it." _Asshole. _

"Kyaaa!" cried Shiemi, "I'm so sorry that you had such a tough childhood!" She latched onto me. I looked at Rin desperately, begging for help, but he just shrugged.

"Whoa, whoa…Shiemi, I was kidding!" I said, patting her head. She looked up at me teary-eyed.

"But...but..." she whimpered. I cracked a grin and turned away. I walked over to Rin and elbowed him in the ribs, "Why didn't you help me?"

He smiled, "Because it was hilarious." I looked up at him, his dark hair falling over his eyes. He was a lot taller than me, which pissed me off.

"You're such an ass," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Ouch, that hurts," he replied. I looked up at him again and saw that he was smiling. He patted my head and nodded, "You're pretty cute, you know?"

_He said it…he said the word. _"Rin, what have you done?" asked Shima. He took a step back. "What are you talking abo—" he began. My knife slashing past his face interrupted him. His eyes were wide, "Holy shit! What did I say?"

"You called her cute!" Konekomaru called to Rin. I growled, staring Rin down and putting on my best crazy-bitch-with-a-blade face.

"Seriously? That was it?" he asked. I growled again and sheathed my knife. He relaxed a little. "Look, I'm sor—" I grinned maliciously as my fist connected with his face. The running jump-punch had sent him flying. He lay sprawled on the floor. I was breathing hard and grinning, "That's what you get."

"Damn," muttered Bon.

"It's like she becomes possessed when you say she's cute," whispered Shima. Normally I didn't jump-attack people when they mentioned my so-called 'doll-like features', but for some reason when Rin said it, it pissed me off even more than usual. Rin groaned and stirred on the ground where he'd fallen. He opened one eye, "That hurt."

I nodded, "I figured as much."

"Well, I bet you won't see this coming," he said calmly, sitting up. I was about to ask him what he meant when he shin-kicked me and I fell to the ground. I slammed my head against the hard floor. I groaned and clutched my skull, "Why would you do that?" I clenched my eyes shut.

"You started it," he shot back.

"Do you realize that you sound like a little kid right now?" I asked, cracking one eye open. When my vision un-blurred I shot backwards. Rin's face had been inches from mine. I slammed my head against the wall behind me, "Fuuuu."

"You should get yourself checked for a concussion," Shiemi pointed out. I growled and looked up. Rin was staring at me. I felt my face heat up and my heart start beating quickly. _Shit, did I really get a concussion? What's wrong with me? Whatever, it's not a big deal. I'll heal soon_.

Rin stood up and offered me his hand. I ignored it and pushed myself to my feet. I rubbed my temple. "Ow," I breathed, closing my eyes for a second.

"Need any help?" Shima asked, offering me his hand. I frowned.

"Ew, Shima. Are you crushing on Grace?" asked Izumo flatly. My face felt like it was on fire. Shima whirled around, his own face bright red, "A guy can't offer to help a girl?"

"He's right, though. Are you sure you're ok?" asked Rin. He put a hand on my shoulder and I immediately shrugged him off. Strange warmth remained where he'd touched me. "I'm fine!" I insisted. I took a step forward and tripped on the flat ground. Bon caught me and slung me over his shoulder, "I'll take her to the infirmary." I pounded on his back, "Put me down! I just tripped!" I was telling the truth. My head didn't hurt at all. It was probably already healed.

"Hey, why do you get to carry her?" asked Shima.

"I don't think she wants you to carry her," Rin pointed out.

"Don't care. She hit her head. She needs to go to the infirmary," Bon said. I gave up. I couldn't use my full strength to escape him because he would find the suspicious. He wasn't as dumb as Rin was.

I slumped over Bon's shoulder as he lugged me out of the training room. "Thank you, Mr. Suguro. Now, who would like to try it next?" asked the teacher. I'd almost forgotten that he was there. _Shit, I launched myself at Rin in front of him. I have to be more careful! _

My arms swayed with each of Bon's steps as he lugged me towards the infirmary. I sighed, knowing that I didn't need to go. I wanted to watch more battles. I wanted to see Rin fight. I bet the blue flames that I'd heard about would be pretty cool. I groaned.

"What? Does your head hurt?" asked Bon, looking up at me.

"No, I just want to see the Blue Flames," I said disappointedly.

He scowled, "They're not as pretty as you think they are."

"What does that mean?" I asked. "Oh, are you talking about the Blue Night?" He was silent. "I know about it because I was there." I clapped a hand over my mouth.

"What?!" demanded Bon, setting me on the ground.

"Uh…I was there?" I said again.

"And you survived?!"

"No…I died," I said with a straight face. He scowled, "Then you know what it was like! You shouldn't joke about it if you understand!" My face sobered up, "I know. I joke when I have something to hide." My eyes went wide and I took a step back. _Why did I just say that to him? I didn't even know that was true until just now! _

He nodded, "I get it." I looked up at him and saw his face was red. _Jeez, are all the boys here turning into tomatoes?_

He picked me up again and I didn't protest. There was nothing I could do to convince him that I didn't need him to carry me. We walked in the direction of the infirmary and I thought about the events of the day. _I really need to be more careful. _


	4. That Annoying Feeling

I flew, full speed, through the hallway. I wasn't sure where I was, but I knew that there was something after me. I glanced behind me, but didn't see whatever was chasing me. I listened closely, but all I heard were my own wing beats. I was breathing hard and pushing past my exhaustion.

Suddenly, a loud cracking noise sounded behind me. I didn't turn to see what was chasing me. I had no time. I had to fly as fast as I could. I just had to get a little farther…just a little farther and I'd be safe. I pushed my wings as hard as I could, pain splitting my shoulder blades in half. The crashing sound behind me were getting louder. My heart was beating quickly.

I felt a new pain bite into my leg. I ignored it and turned the corner, running along the wall and then launched back into the air. That was when I saw it: the glowing blue light that would be my salvation. I screamed something, but I wasn't sure what it was. All of my senses were blurry. I gave my wings one final push before I fell from the air. I tumbled a few feet and landed badly. I felt my wing snap and I cried out in pain.

"Grace!" screamed a voice. Brilliant blue flames lit up my vision. I felt my eyes droop. "Grace!" I was losing myself.

* * *

"Grace, wake up!" cried a voice. I was being shaken awake. My eyes snapped open and I shot upright. My forehead collided with something hard and I cried out.

Bon stumbled backwards, clutching his head, "Jeez, Grace." I was sweating and breathing hard. I dropped my head onto my upright knees and took a shaky breath. _What was that? _

"You were having a nightmare," said Bon, lowering his hand.

"I'm aware…thanks," I said.

"Don't be sarcastic when I was just trying to help you."

"Sorry…thanks for waking me up," I said, nodding. I squeezed my eyes shut and wiped the sweat from my brow.

There was a moment of silence, "Want to tell me what it was?"

I looked up at Bon who was staring at me. His face turned red, "I mean, you don't have to…it's just sometimes it helps to tell someone."

I nodded my head, "Thanks but no thanks." I swung my legs over the side of the bed. As soon as the strange feeling I had left me, the familiar itching and tight feeling plagued me in between my shoulder blades. _Concealing your wings for so long is a real pain in the back…hehehe. _I tried to itch my back, but I couldn't reach the spot that was the worst. "Bon, I need your help," I said.

He raised his hand, "No way…I'm not itching your back."

"Bon, please!" I whined, "I'm dying here!"

"No, I refuse," he said sternly, getting up to leave. I followed after him, "Bon, you're killing me!" The itch was driving me crazy. "Bon! Bon! Bon! Bon! Bon! Bon! Bon!"

"NO!" he said, turning around the corner. My eyes went wide when I rounded the bend, "Rin, Shima…save me!" I ran towards them and their eyes went wide.

"What does that mean?" asked Shima.

"My back!" I cried out. The itch was getting worse and worse. I whimpered, shifting from foot to foot and flailing around.

"Are you alright?" asked Shima, taking a step back.

"My back…it itches. Please, Asshat won't help me! I need someone to itch it! I can't reach it!" I yelled. I rubbed my back against the wall but it didn't help.

"Whoa, I don't think I can do that," said Shima. His face was bright red.

"I'll do it!" said Rin, raising his hand. I turned to him and smiled. "Right in between my shoulder blades," I said desperately. Within seconds sweet relief filled my body. I sighed, "I love you."

"Thanks," said Rin. I turned red, "No! I don't love you! No!"

"You just said you did, though," he said, scratching my back still.

"It was my back talking! I swear!"

"Backs don't talk," said Shima. I glared at him, "Shut up, Shima. You don't get to talk. You wouldn't help me." He frowned. I stood up straight and turned to Rin. I pointed a finger at him and said, "I _don't _love you!"

He nodded, "Sure…" I turned to leave. "Hey, Grace, do you have a tattoo?" he asked. I turned around and sighed, "Sort of."

"What does that mean? Sort of?" asked Bon.

"Yes…yes, I do," I said. I didn't _really _have a tattoo. Whenever my wings were concealed, wing designs appeared on my back. They weren't tattoos…they were my real wings, just hidden.

"I'm leaving," I said, heading towards where Mephisto had told me my dorm was. "Where are you going?" asked Shima.

"It's none of your business, now is it?" I called over my shoulder.

I got lost on the way there, but I eventually found the dorm. It was a run down building that looked haunted. It looked even creepier because it was dark out. I sighed and stepped inside. The interior was just as depressed as the outside was. The floorboards creaked under my feet. Mephisto had told me that he'd leave my things in my room. First, I had to find my room.

After a good ten minutes of looking, opening several broom closets, running into a weird-looking demon in the kitchen, and tripped down a flight of stairs, I finally found my room. I cracked the door open and switched on the lights. Thankfully, my things were here. After ruffling through my things, I slipped off my dirty sweats and pulled on some jeans and a T-shirt. I pulled out a pen and paper and wrote down a quick note.

_**I've arrived.**_

_**He doesn't seem suspicious, but I will keep and eye on him.**_

_**I'll get back to you.**_

I held on tight to the note as I found my way back outside. I put two fingers in my mouth and whistled. It was a long, loud whistle that only an angel can make. It was so high pitched that human ears can't hear it. A few seconds later, Cho swooped down and landed on my arm. I gave her the note and she clamped her beak over it, "Take this to my father, Cho." She flapped her wings a few times, lifting into the air a disappearing behind the clouds.

"Was that a messenger pigeon?" asked a voice.

I turned around and saw Rin standing behind me. _Shit, shit, shit, shit! _"That was my _falcon_…Cho," I said.

He nodded and grinned, walking towards me, "That's so _cool!_" _Oh right, I forgot that he was dumb. _

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

He shrugged, "I was about to turn in for the night when I heard a weird noise. I came to check it out."

"Wait, 'turn in for the night'?"

"Yeah, I live in this dorm," he replied. My jaw dropped and I clapped a hand over my face. _Really, Dad? You had to have me put in the same dorm as demon boy?_

"What are _you _doing here?" he asked me. I frowned and turned to him, "Same as you."

"What?"

"I live in this dorm now, too," I said.

He stared at me. "Just…don't say anything," I said, raising my hands and then walking away from him.

"Where are you going now?" he asked.

"No where. Actually, away from you. Don't follow me," I replied. I wanted to get some flying in. I needed to; otherwise I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

"You're pretty mysterious," he called after me.

"Let's keep it that way," I called back. As I walked farther and farther away from him, he got smaller and smaller. I turned around and saw him still standing there, staring after me. I had a growing suspicion that he was going to try to follow me. I rounded the corner of the nearest building and waited. I waited a good two minutes before he rounded the corner. I grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. He grunted in surprise.

"I thought I told you not to follow me," I growled.

"I was just going to…the store…yeah, I was going there," he said, clearly lying.

"You're a horrible liar," I said, "Don't follow me!" I pushed his chest and turned to leave. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to him, "Tell me where you're going and I won't follow you."

"I'm going to the top of that building," I said, pointing to the tallest one I could see.

"Why?"

"I told you where I was going, now leave me alone," I said. I wrenched my arm out of his grip and left him staring after me. As I expected he tried to follow me again, but I ditched him in the crowd that was gathered in the town square. The people were not ideal, but I figured that if I got high enough people would just think I was a big bird or something. Either that or they wouldn't even be able to see me because it was so dark out. I figured as soon as Rin lost me he would head towards the building I pointed to. I praised my own foresight and went to a different, fairly tall building.

Once I'd panted up several flights of stairs and gotten on top I took a deep breath and soaked in the sights. Lights glittered below me and I smiled. I stood up and gulped down another big lungful of fresh, night air. I smiled and looked over the edge of the building. _Yeah, it's tall enough. _I smiled and stood on the railing. I let myself fall off of the edge.

I plummeted towards the ground, picking up speed as I went. Nobody below noticed me falling, which was good. As I fell I released the concealment on my wings. I let them unfold behind me, a satisfying relaxation enveloping me. Just before I smashed against the ground, I unfolded my wings. I shot upwards immediately, soaring into the air. I laughed out loud, enjoying the feel of the wind caressing my face. My hair whipped around me and I closed my eyes. This was the best feeling.

My powerful wings propelled me through the air and I sliced through the sky. I saw people bustling below me. The buildings looked like little toy blocks from my height. I looked to my right and saw the academy. I frowned when I saw it and looked away. I spent a good hour up there, flying around and taking in the sights. When I realized how long it'd been I headed towards the dorm. It was dark enough and late enough that I figured neither of the Okumura brothers would be looking out the windows.

I didn't have to fly long before I was gracefully landing on the roof of the dorm. I sighed and concealed my wings. Luckily, the annoying itching feeling was completely gone by now. I sighed and plopped down on the shingles. I stretched my arms above my head and yawned. I guess it was about time for me to go to sleep.

"What the hell are you doing up here?" asked a voice. I went rigid. _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit_.

"Enjoying the view?" I said, turning to see Rin behind me. I smiled unconvincingly. The wind blew his hair around his face. I couldn't help but think that he was pretty good looking. I shook the thought out of my head. _Don't fraternize with the enemy, Grace! Snap out of it!_

I stood up and opened my mouth to blurt out another excuse, but the words didn't come. To my surprise, my foot slipped on a loose tile and I fell. I looked up at Rin desperately, reaching for him, but I was too late. I let out a little scream and tumbled down the tiles. I flew into the air—unintentionally this time—and started to fall to the ground. _Crap! I can't use my wings in front of Rin!_

I closed my eyes tight, waiting for the pain. When nothing happened I opened one eye. Rin's hand was wrapped tightly around my wrist. I dangled off of the building. "I got you," he said, pulling me up. I was pretty small, so it was no trouble for a demon like him to heave me up. Actually, he pulled to hard and I went flying. I landed on top of him and knocked the wind out of him.

"You're pretty light," he said.

I punched him. "Hey, that was a compli—" His eyes went wide. Our faces were inches from each other. I think I squeaked, but I can't remember for sure. I felt his heart beating quickly under my palm. I felt blood rush to my face. "Right, well…thanks for saving my life," I said, pushing myself off of him. I climbed to the top of the roof and launched myself over the railing and onto the flat roof. I practically ran to the door. I slammed it shut behind me and ran to my room. I flopped down on my bed and hid my face in my pillow. A strange feeling lurked in my chest. I tried to push it away, but it just kept annoyingly returning.

_What is wrong with me? Could I like him? No. I can't. Even if I wanted to…I can't._

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Look forward to the next chapter. :) *She gets on her knees* Please, leave a review? **


	5. The Homicidal Lunch

**A/N: Sorry, everyone! There was some confusion on my part about Grace's age…I realized, (thanks to ****withdranwnmadness000****), that somehow she was eight years old sixteen years ago, but now she's only eighteen. O.O *****facepalm* *sweat drop* Sorry, guys. I'll clear that up, now. She is eighteen years old now…which means she was two during the Blue Night. What? Two? Yeah…because she's an angel her body developed faster than a normal human's. That's why she was able to carry Suguro's dad. Sorry if that doesn't make sense. Alright, now that **_**that's**_** clear. Read on! :)**

* * *

I was curled up in my bed, my wings wrapped tightly around me. My eyes snapped open. _Shit! Stupid wings have a mind of their own! _I immediately concealed them again and sighed. I suddenly felt cold without the warm of my wings surrounding me.

I pushed myself upright and yawned. I ran a brush through my annoyingly long hair and pulled on some clothes. I wasn't attending True Cross Academy, just the cram school. I didn't need to worry about being late for that. I sauntered out into the hallway. I stretched my arms above my head and rubbed the sleep away from my eyes.

When I opened them again I saw the single most hilarious sight that I'd ever laid eyes on. Both of the Okumura brothers were standing in front of me. Yukio had a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth and was only wearing his boxers. They had hearts on them. Rin was frantically pulling on his crumpled uniform and wasn't paying attention to where he stepped. He tripped and fell flat on his face.

"Oh my God!" shouted Yukio. I frowned at his choice of words.

Rin was laughing, "Oh, I didn't tell you that she was living with us?"

"You shouldn't be laughing when you're the one on the floor," Yukio pointed out.

"Dude, look down," said Rin, getting to his feet and pulling on his jacket. Yukio looked down and his eyes went wide. He screamed like a little girl and ran back into his room.

My shoulders were shaking as I tried to contain my laughter. I turned away from Rin. I couldn't look at him without cracking up. "Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded as he walked past me. I took a deep breath as he walked ahead of me.

"Off to school?" I asked, clasping my hands behind my back as I walked alongside him.

"Yeah. You're not?" he asked.

"I'm only going to the cram school…for now," I replied.

He nodded. "Rin, wait!" called Yukio. He caught up to us.

"I see you found your pants," I said, grinning widely.

"I-I…" I laughed and slapped his shoulder, "Calm down, Teach. Now I'll have something to keep me entertained during class!"

Rin laughed. "Every time I see you, I'll picture your heart-covered underpants," I said flatly, "Way to undermine your own authority." I grinned at him and turned to Rin, "Well, have a good school day, I guess…" _Not that I won't know every little thing you do because I'm being forced to watch over you 24/7. Grr. Dad, you need to get me into his classes so that I can watch over him closer. _Honestly, I didn't know how he had overlooked this. I guess he wasn't as almighty as humans thought he was.

"Cool, see you at cram school. We have Ms. Kirigakure today…you better be prepared," he said as we stepped out the door. I didn't have time to ask him what he meant before I heard Cho cawing. I looked up and saw her perched in the tree above us.

She cawed again as I raised my arm for her. She flew down and landed on me. There was no note from my father in her beak, but what did I expect?

"Hey, Cho. Thanks," I said to her, stroking her feathers gently.

"You have a bird?" Yukio asked.

"Nope…" I replied, not looking away from Cho. Cho pecked affectionately at my hair.

"Wait, but—"

"Yes, dumbass. I have a bird," I said sarcastically. I let Cho fly away and sighed, "Aren't you going to be late?" They both freaked out at the same time and ran towards True Cross Academy.

"See you later, Grace!" they called behind them. I waved and waited a few seconds before following them.

Watched Rin pass out every period, (Every. Single. One.), was probably the most boring thing I'd ever had to do. I wished dad could have given me a better or more entertaining job like slaying a greater demon…or sleeping. I entertained myself as best I could by twirling my hair around my finger. That didn't last more than ten minutes. I decided to start braiding it, but then it started to look even more horrible than it usually does…so I stopped.

I sat up on the branch I was resting on. The wind rustled the leaves and sent my partially braided hair flying. I sighed and swung my legs back and forth to try and strangle my boredom to death. It didn't work. I growled and stood up on the branch. I walked across it, my arms held out like a tightrope walker. I looked to my right where the window was that I had been watching Rin through. I froze. Rin was staring directly at me, his mouth wide open. I raised a hand to my face and covered my mouth. _Shiiiiiiiiiit!_

I leapt down from the branch—which was pretty high up—and caught myself just before I slammed into the ground, grabbing onto a low-hanging branch. I grimaced as the skin on my palm ripped open as it made contact with the rough bark. I released the branch and let myself fall the remaining three feet. I landed and looked up. Rin was leaning out the window staring at me, "Grace?"

I turned away from him and ran for it. I rounded the corner of the building and took in a series of deep breaths to calm me down. _Grace, I thought I told you to be more careful! Idiot!_

I banged my head on the wall and slumped against it. I angrily undid the remaining braids in my hair. I raked my fingers through it, removing the remaining knots. I sighed and jumped out of my skin as the bell rang loudly. I pushed myself upright and growled, heading towards the cafeteria. _Scared the shit out of me!_

* * *

My heart was still pounding quickly when I arrived. "Grace!" called a voice. I frowned and turned slowly, "Fancy meeting you here."

"Did you jump from a 50-foot tree and only come away with a scratch on your hand?" Rin asked.

"Yeah…I did that," I said sarcastically, "I'm serious, though…because that's humanly possible. You dumbass." I turned away from him, executing my plan perfectly. I'd affectionately dubbed it the '**U**se **R**in's **I**diocy **A**gainst **H**im **B**ecause **H**e's **T**oo **S**tupid **T**o **N**otice' plan. I thought the name was catchy.

"But I saw you—"

"Yeah, well, you must've been dreaming," I sighed. Rin's eyes narrowed. _Damnit, the __**URIAHBHTSTN**__ Plan isn't working! ...It also needs a better acronym! _His hand had wrapped around mine before I even realized it. I tried to pull away, but he was too strong. I guess that was one of the many perks of being the Son of Satan…although, the cons probably outweighed the pros.

He stared at my hand. My face started to heat up. "But I saw the blood on your hand," he said. _Thank you, InstaHealing! _

"Clearly you were hallucinating," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Say no to drugs and yes to hugs."

He growled at me, "I'm sure that—"

"Grace! Over here!" called a voice. I turned, thankful for the change of topic. I pulled my hand out of Rin's and curled my fingers into a fist, trying to resist the urge to take his hand again. I took a deep breath and walked over to Shima.

"What're you doing here? I thought you weren't in the normal classes," said Konekomaru.

"Yeah, well, hopefully I'll be starting soon. I just wanted to get a little familiar with the layout," I said, sitting down beside Shiemi. I fully intended to send a note to my father by the Cho Postal Service asking for a free entrance to True Cross Academy so that I could keep a closer eye on Rin and Yukio.

"I can show you around if you want," said Bon, taking a drink from an orange soda.

"Hey, I want to show her around," said Shima, sitting up straighter.

"I offered first," said Bon calmly.

"I don't need—" I began.

"Who cares?" asked Shima.

"God," replied Bon. My teeth clenched, "That's not—"

"God doesn't care about who shows Grace around!" said Shima. _Well, you couldn't be any more right about that…except it's more like he doesn't care about _me.

"Shima, I—" I started again.

"God cares about everything and everyone," said Bon. _Stop talking about my dad!_

"Let's stop—"

"God, please let me show Grace around the school," Shima said, giving his best puppy eyes to the sky and clapping his hands together. I frowned.

"It doesn't work like that, Shima," I said. _Finally got a sentence in! _

"How do you know?" he asked. I froze up. I guess I knew that my dad wasn't as all knowing as humans thought he was. He was just a powerful man who lived in Caelum. He was pretty condescending, though…that I knew.

"I don't know for sure…I'm just saying," I said nervously. I shifted in my seat and stood up, "Right, well…I'll be going now."

"Really? You have to go?" complained Shiemi.

"Why do you care?" sniped Izumo. I frowned. _Real nice girl…really_.

"Because she's my friend," said Shiemi, clinging to me. _Real clingy girl…really_.

I shrugged her off, "Yeah, I'm going. See you guys this afternoon." They nodded and I left. I headed towards the door I'd come in. "Watch out!" yelled a voice. I turned and reacted immediately. A tray of food was flying towards me and I arched my back to avoid it. The food flew past my face and I caught the tray mid-air. I straightened myself and looked down at the tray. Most of the contents were still in their rightful places, but some of them had taken a diver to the floor.

A kid ran up to me, "I'm _so _sorry!" He looked nervous.

I nodded, "It's ok. I dodged it alright."

"That was really cool!" he said excitedly.

I frowned, "Not really…"

"Nice one, Grace!" called Shima. I turned to him, "Shut up, Shima." He frowned and looked away. I regretted my words after I'd said them, but I couldn't take them back.

"Well, thanks for catching my food," he said nervously. He turned to leave.

"Sure thing?" I said, more of a question than a statement.

"Excuse me," said a new voice behind me. I sighed and turned around. _Can't I just get out of this place without any unnecessary disruptions?_

"We just wanted to ask if you would eat with us," said one of the guys in front of me. I frowned. There was a taller one. He had dark hair and sharp features. The other one was blond and slumped a little even though he was shorter. They were pretty comical-looking, one being dark and tall and the other short and blond. They were like total opposites.

"I don't have any food," I replied, trying to walk around them. They stopped me, "You can have ours!"

_This is getting creepy_. "Yeah, no thanks," I said, trying to walk around their other side. They sidestepped, blocking my path. I growled, "Move." I was already in a bad enough mood…I didn't need the creepy Yin-Yang Duo making it worse.

"But we think you're really—" started the shorter one. My eyes went wide. A hand clapped over the blonde's mouth. "Don't do it, man," said a voice from above me. I felt warmth on my back as the person reached over my shoulder to stop the blonde's words.

I looked up and saw Rin standing over me. His face was uncomfortably close to mine. "You don't want to say that, shorty," he said.

"What? What were you going to say?" I asked the short kid. I took a step forward. He mumbled something under Rin's hand. Rin shook his head. _Come on, kid…just say it…I dare you! _

"He was going to say that we think you're cute," said the older one, his face a little red. I growled. "What have you done!?" said Rin, alarmed. My hands went to my knives. _I'm gonna kill him! I am! It's inevitable! Don't try and stop me, Rin! He's gonna die today! _

I tried to unsheathe my daggers, but Rin pushed them back into their sheathes. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and threw me over his shoulder. I struggled against him, trying to escape so that I could commit homicide and leave the two there on the lettuce-covered cafeteria floor. Rin was too strong, though, and I couldn't break free. I tried to kick him, but he stopped my blow.

"Calm down, Grace. You're not cute. You're badass! You're the most badass out of all the badasses!" he said, trying to calm me down.

"Shut up, Rin! Lemme go! Lemme at 'em!" I growled. He carried me towards the door and I stared after the two kids. They were staring at me, wide eyed. _Yeah, I'm not cute. Hehe, you thought I was the kind of girl who doesn't manically murder people? You were wrong. You'd be dead wrong if Rin hadn't abducted me! _

"Are you calm?" he asked.

I nodded. "Good," he said, putting me down. I immediately went to leave. He grabbed my wrist, "You should try not to murder people."

"Can't…sorry," I said turning to leave again. He grabbed me again and pulled me to him, "Tell me the truth. Were you in that tree?"

"Why don't we just leave that a mystery, hmm?" I said. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the pleasure I felt at his touch. I pulled away and left for real this time. I glanced behind me and saw him staring after me. A slight hint of pink graced his cheeks.

_Stop being stupid, Grace. He's the Son of Satan…you can't like him! _I double slapped myself in the face. Feeling like it wasn't enough, I slapped myself again. My cheeks stung, but I felt better. I had to write that letter to my father and then change into my uniform. I had more cram school today, and I wasn't about to show up to class in my usual jeans and T-shirt. I sighed and headed towards the dorm, wishing that I could fly to shorten the travel time.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review…please? :)**


	6. Yeah, We're Tight

I sauntered into the classroom, wishing that I didn't have to. "Grace! Sit here!" said Shima, patting the spot beside him.

"No," I said flatly, flopping down next to an empty chair. I was going to enjoy the solitude. I pulled my hat—a porkpie…yeah, I do make style choices—down over my face and closed my eyes.

"Sleeping already?" asked a voice. The owner of the voice pulled out the chair beside me and sat down. I didn't bother peeking out from under my hat to see who it was. Her voice was pretty unique…and was giving me a headache with only a few words. "Yep. You should too, Shiemi. It's pretty relaxing," I mumbled, sighing.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Ms. Yamazaki is really strict," she said shyly.

I shrugged, "Not my problem she has a stick up her ass."

"Excuse me?" asked a distinctly pompous voice. I figured that was reason enough to lift the brim of my hat. A tubby lady with glasses stood over me, staring at me.

"Welcome to the classroom?" I said. I looked at Shiemi, glaring at her as if to say: _Why didn't you warn me? _

"Well, why don't you recite the homework I assigned? _The. Entire. Passage!_" she said prissily. I stood up and took a deep breath. If you ask me any question about holy texts, I'll be able to answer it. Don't get me wrong; I never bothered to read any of them…it's sort of programmed into my DNA. I just automatically know the answer. I recited the entire passage, trying to look as bored as possible, and then sat down.

Ms. Yamazaki just stared at me. I leaned back and tipped my hat over my face again. I sighed and tried to sleep again.

"Well…at least you pay attention," she said, trying to make the fact that I'd just totally humiliated her less noticeable. It didn't work.

"Smack down!" whispered Shima.

"That was impressive," said Bon. I smiled but my hat hid it.

I could practically hear Ms. Yamazaki's veins popping, "Don't sleep!" I groaned and sat upright, pushing my hat back onto my head.

"How could I? Your lecture are so _interesting_," I said, sighing and propping my head up on my palm. Just then the door swung open. In tumbled Rin. I wondered how he'd managed to be late for cram school even though classes started in the afternoon.

"Mr. Okumura," scolded Ms. Yamazaki, "Take. Your. Seat." She accentuated each word, trying to make herself sound scarier. I frowned. It didn't work.

Rin sat down in the seat behind me. "So, did you sleep through the first ten minutes of class?" I asked him over my shoulder.

"Maybe…" he mumbled. I grinned.

* * *

The next class was the one Rin had warned me about: Ms. Kirigakure's class. As soon as I saw her—as per usual—my stupid mouth said whatever it wanted to, "You know, normal people wear clothes over their underwear."

She stared at me. _Well, shit. Nice way to make a good impression, Grace_. I jumped when she started laughing loudly. I cocked my head. "I like you, kid," she said. I nodded and stared at her.

"What's your name?" she said, still laughing a little.

"Grace Sato," I replied. She slid off of her desk where she'd been sitting.

"You remind me of myself," she said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I frowned, "I don't consider that a compliment. I don't intend to become a stripper when I'm older."

"Oh damn," said Shima. I didn't really care. She seemed like the kind of person that could take a hit. Suddenly, I was forced to leap back so that I could dodge the blade that slashed past my face. I automatically flipped out of the way and drew my daggers. I caught her next attack with my crossed blades and twisted her sword out of her hand. It clattered to the ground and I pressed my right dagger against her neck.

"I knew it!" she said happily, "You're like a mini-me!"

"Don't call me mini!" I yelled, raising my arm. Unfortunately, Rin caught my arm before I could stab the teacher to death.

"Looks like we found another word that triggers possession," whispered Shima to Konekomaru. I glared at him and his face went white.

"Don't call her C-U-T-E or S-H-O-R-T," said Rin, still holding my wrist.

"I can spell, bastard!" I said, kneeing his stomach. He doubled over and I walked over to the nearest seat and sat down.

"Right, well let's start this thing!" said Ms. Kirigakure. I raised an eyebrow. She didn't seem like a teacher at all. I mentally shrugged as Rin sat down beside me, still clutching his stomach.

"That was harsh," he said.

"On purpose," I replied.

* * *

When classes finally ended, I burst through the doors the led to the great outdoors, "Fresh air! Freedom!"

"Seriously? It was only a few hours," said Bon, walking past me. I tried to trip him but he dodged. "Don't trip people just for something like that!" he protested.

"I can trip people for whatever reason I want!" I retorted.

He sighed, "Shima, I have to visit home for a little while. You want to come?"

Shima nodded, "Sure, why not? Hey, can Grace come? She did say she we grew in the same place."

"Don't care," replied Bon.

"Wow, that was touching," I said, crossing my arms.

"How about it, Grace?" Shima asked, looking at me expectantly.

"I don't want to go back," I said. I looked at the ground, letting my hair fall over my face. I didn't want anyone to see the weak expression I was surely putting on. _I don't want to see that place_. There was a suffocating silence.

"Look, I don't know what happened to you there, but if it were me I'd want to go. I'd want to face my fears," said Rin. I turned to look at him. He stared down at me. I wanted to slap him because his words made so much sense. I'd avoided that place for so long, trying not to remember the Blue Night or the orphanage. I took a deep breath and nodded slowly.

"Alright," I breathed, walking past them. They followed behind me.

* * *

We walked beside each other, Shima and Bon on one side of me and Rin on the other. For some reason, he'd decided to come along. I really didn't need to know why. I took in the sights. Nothing really seemed that familiar…I guess that was because I hardly ever set foot out of the orphanage gates.

Speaking of the orphanage…I froze in my tracks. "What's wrong?" Rin asked.

"Idiot, that's the orphanage up ahead," said Bon.

"You ok, Grace?" asked Shima. I nodded and slowly stepped forward. I reached out and slid my fingers along the gate. It was cool against my skin. It felt just as I remembered it. It loomed above my head, probably three times as tall as I was. Creepy-looking spikes stuck out of the top of it. Don't ask me why one would need spikes on the gate of an orphanage, but they were there. I went stiff as the door to the building opened.

The woman who came out was horridly familiar. She had light brown hair, greyer now than I remembered. It was short. She wore an ugly brown dress and an equally vomit-inducing sweater on top. When she saw me her eyes went wide. "My cute shorty!" she said with a terrifying smile.

"No, no, no, no…she's still here?" I asked, stepping back. She ran to the gate and swung it open. She slapped me across the face, "That was for running away!" She hugged me tightly, "That was for coming back!"

"I guess we know why she doesn't like being called 'cute' or 'short'," Shima said. I tried to hit him, but Ms. Narita was holding down my arms with her hug.

"Come inside, the Matron will want to see you!" she said excitedly, releasing me.

"No!" I said, pulling away from her.

"There's no need. She's not welcome here," said a voice. I looked up and saw the Matron. She was glared at me, her arms crossed over her chest. Her white hair hung in wisps around her shoulders and her glasses perched perilously on the end of her nose.

I took step back, bumping into Rin. He put his hands on my shoulders to comfort me. "Leave this place," growled the Matron.

"But Ma'am—" started Ms. Narita.

"No buts! Get out! Don't step through that gate! Leave!" she shouted, waving her arm.

I shrunk back. Rin wrapped his arms around me and I hid my face in his chest, "Hey! What kind of person says that?"

I shook my head, "Rin, don't!"

"No, she should know that she doesn't have the right to—"

"Rin, stop," said Bon. I looked at him and nodded. "Let's go. My dad's waiting," he said, turning to leave. Rin glared at the Matron as we left. He held onto my arm, leading me away. When we rounded the corner Shima said, "Jeez, Grace, I'm sorry for dragging you out here. I didn't know…"

"It's alright. Strangely I feel better now," I said, nodding. Having my friends stand up for me was nice. It made me stronger. I shook Rin off. _No, he's not my friend. _

"My house is this way," said Bon.

"Wait, we're really going to your house?" I asked, suddenly nervous.

"Yeah, why?" said Bon. Surely his dad would recognize me from all those years ago. _Oh well, I hope he's forgotten. There's nothing I can do now without looking suspicious._

* * *

The house was pleasantly small. It gave off a cozy feeling. "Nice house," I said, walking up to the steps.

"Thanks?" said Bon.

"Why did you have to come here anyway?" asked Rin, his hands in his pockets.

"Because my dad asked me to," Bon replied.

"Why did Shima come?" I asked, staring at Shima.

"I felt like it," he replied, folding his arms behind his head. I shook my head as Bon opened the door.

"Make yourself at home," said Bon, gesturing to the interior.

"Does that mean I can rummage through your fridge and eat all of your food?" I asked, stepping into his house.

"No." I nodded, having expected that answer. The house had lots of pictures on the walls, some of Bon when he was younger, "Awww…Bon you were so adorable!"

"Don't look at that," he said, pushing me into the next room.

"Touchy, touchy," I mumbled. I sat down on his couch. "So, where's your dad?" I asked.

"Right here!" said a cheery voice. I froze up and looked at my feet.

"Hey, dad. Why did you call me here?" said Bon flatly.

"Is it wrong for a father to want to see his son?" older Suguro asked.

Bon sighed and sat down beside me, "You thirsty?" I shook my head, not looking up.

"Why are you staring at the floor?" Rin asked, sitting on the other side of me. Shima mumbled something about never getting to sit next to me.

"Uh, no reason?" I mumbled.

"Oh, did Ryuji finally bring a girl home?" asked Ron's dad. I facepalmed.

"Dad, don't be weird," groaned Bon. I took a deep breath. It's not like I could stare at the floor the entire time we were there. I slowly looked up and saw a slightly older version of the same man whose life I'd saved all those years ago.

His eyes went wide and he pointed to me. He opened his mouth and said, "Gra—"

I leapt across the room and clapped my hand over his mouth, "Shhhh!" He nodded and I released him. I slowly turned back to everyone. They were staring at me.

"That was weird," said Shima.

"You know each other or something?" asked Rin.

I shook my head but older Suguro said, "I used to visit her orphanage looking for offerings." Bon scowled as if he were remembering something bad.

I shook my head and then nodded. I patted him on the back, "Yeah…all the time."

"We're tight," said Bon's dad, crossing his fingers.

"Totally," I said. He leaned over to me and whispered, "They don't know?"

I nodded, "And they're not going to anytime soon!" He winked at me, "Anyone want anything to drink?"

I nodded and he sauntered off into the kitchen. "I have a hard time believing that he went to your orphanage for offerings," said Bon in a monotone voice.

"Well, he did, so…" I said, my voice trailing off.

"Uh-huh…and so now you're 'tight'?" asked Shima. I nodded, "Yep." _I'm not about to tell them that he was the one who restored my faith in the kindness of humans…that would be weird_.

"I'll be right back," I said, heading for the door. I'd almost forgot to send that letter to my dad.

"Oh wait, Bon you got paper and a pen?" I asked. I figured he'd think I was weird, but I doubted they would jump to the conclusion that I was an angel just because I sent a letter in the beak of a bird. Bon nodded and handed me some. I jotted down a few words in my usual messy scrawl.

_**Get me into True Cross Academy. **_

_**I'll keep a closer eye on him.**_

It sort of sounded like I was ordering dad around, but I didn't really care. He _was _the one who asked me to watch over Rin. If I was taking the initiative here, he could suck it up and pull a few strings. I stepped outside, capping the pen. I whistled, the same high-pitched whistle that was inaudible to humans.

"What, you can't whistle?" asked Bon. _Shit, he followed me out_.

"What are you talking about? She just did," said Rin calmly.

"I didn't hear anything," said Shima. Cho flew down from a nearby tree. She followed me wherever I went; always ready to take a note to my dad. She cawed and I gave her the note. She flapped away, disappearing again. I clapped my hands and turned to my friends.

"That was impressive," said a voice. Older Suguro was standing in the doorway. "Anyhow, come inside again," he said. I complied immediately, leaving the others wondering why I'd sent a letter into the sky by bird. Shima asked me about it and I just shrugged. When we were getting ready to leave, I let the others go ahead of me. I stopped and turned to Tatsuma.

He smiled at me, "I'm glad I saw you again. For a while there I thought that I was crazy."

I smiled back, "It was good seeing you two."

"What are you two doing?" Bon called back.

"Up high," I said. Tatsuma clapped my hand. "Down low," I said. He clapped my hand again. I patted his shoulder, "I'm sure we'll see each other again someday." He patted my head, "Bye, angel." I turned and caught up with the others.

"I don't know whether to be creeped out…or to be creeped out," said Bon.

I grinned, "How about both?"


	7. The Twin Rabbits

_**Urgent. **_

_**Go to the Amabe Forest. **_

_**Find the Noa twins.**_

_**They're planning something. **_

_**Sort it out. **_

_**PS**_

_**You're in the academy.**_

It was just another one of my dad's _heartwarming _and _personal _messages. Cho screeched and flitted to my shoulder. She perched there elegantly. I groaned and plopped down onto my bed, shutting the window that I'd just opened to let Cho inside. I sighed and then let myself fall over backwards. Cho cawed and flew off of my shoulder just before my back made contact with the sheets.

I groaned, "Really? The Noa twins?"

"Who're the Noa twins?" asked a voice. I bolted upright and banged my head on the wooden frame of the bunk above my bed. I rubbed my forehead.

"Why're you here?" I asked.

"I was bored," Rin replied. He came in and shut the door behind him. "I don't remember giving you permission to come in…" I said, not like it did any good. He sat down beside me.

I crumbled up the note from my father and chucked it into the garbage can on the other side of the room.

"Nice shot," said Rin. I nodded, not really feeling like idle chitchat at the moment.

"Who are the Noa twins?" he asked again. I couldn't tell him the truth: that the Noa twins had angelic blood in them. I suppose I should explain, huh? There is a different between _being _an angel and _having _angelic blood. Those who are angels are born from God. We're his sons and daughters. Those who have angelic blood in them are artificial angels. They had God's blood inserted into their blood stream. The main differences are that they have different powers and no wings. The Noa twins in particular are shape shifters…which was really a pain in the ass, (not to mention their annoying personalities).

"Idiots," I replied. It was wall I could think of to say.

"I figured you wouldn't give me a clear answer. You know, you're really mysterious," he said, leaning against the wall behind him.

"Yeah, whatever," I said, standing up and pulling on a black sweater over my tank top.

"Are you going somewhere?" he asked, standing up too.

"Nope," I replied.

"Then why are you putting on a sweater?"

"I mostly said that because I don't want you to follow me," I said, turning to him. I poked him in the chest, backing him up against the wall. I glared up at him, "If you follow me I'll murder you."

"I don't mind," he replied. I blushed, realizing that we were in a very compromising position. I had him pressed up against the wall and he was looked down at me closely. I turned, intentionally flicking him in the face with my silver ponytail, and headed for the door. He followed after me, "You won't tell me where you're going?"

"Don't even bother asking," I replied.

"Asking about what?" asked Yukio. I groaned and tried to escape. Rin grabbed me and pulled me back, "Where are you going?"

"I told you not to bother. I'm not going to tell you," I hissed, trying to shake free of him. He held on tight.

"It is somewhere dangerous?" Yukio asked, always the worrywart.

"No…probably not," I replied.

"Probably? What does that mean?" demanded Rin.

"_Hopefully_," I mumbled. I could see the twins trying to attack me just for fun…the little bastards. Despite the fact that there were two of them, I was a full angel while they were little fledglings. Both of them together were about as strong as I was alone.

"I'm going with you," said Rin. I turned on him, "No! You! Aren't!"

"Yes I am," he said, "Just accept it."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"I said yes!"

"I say yes, too," interrupted Yukio. I turned to him this time, "Whaaaat?"

"If you're going someplace dangerous, I can't stop you. You should just let him go along."

"You heard the man," said Rin. He tried to lead me away but I ripped my arm out of his hand. My mind was whirling. There was no way I could ditch him now. He was going to stick to me with ultimate determination. When I looked at his face I imagined a tattoo that said 'determination!' on his forehead. I growled and dashed out of the dorm. _Damn, I can't fly there!_

"What's the fastest way to Amabe forest?" I asked. I needed to get there as quickly as possible. Dad had written 'Urgent' in his note. That meant it was important.

"I'll lead the way. It's not far. I guess you won't tell me why we're going there?" he asked.

"I'm going to beat some sense into those damn twins," I growled.

Rin nodded, "Sounds like fun." Then a few seconds later, "Wait, what twins?"

I face palmed and ignored him.

* * *

The place was annoyingly dark, but other than that it wasn't all that different from any other forest. Ample moonlight shone down through the treetops and sticks cracked under our feet. I kept my senses sharp, waiting for any sign of the twins. I figured I'd find it soon.

By 'sign' I mean the obvious. I believe I told you that they're shape shifters? Well, what I was looking for was a pair of animals. The Noa twins are able to transform into a pair of any animal you could think of. I suppose they're what the tale of Noah's Ark was based off of, but I didn't really care. I just knew I had to kick some serious ass.

That's when I saw it. Sitting on a rock were two identical rabbits. The first was slightly larger, the male one: Azuma. The second was smaller and looked a bit fluffier, the female: Azuna. I crossed my arms and walked over to them. Their little black eyes stared up at me. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" I said, shifting my weight to one foot.

"Uh, those are bunnies," said Rin. I slapped his arm and he winced. "Shut up, Rin. I didn't want to bring you in the first place."

"Is he your _boyfriend?_" I heard Azuna ask. I frowned. Rin's mouth dropped, "The bunny t-t-talked!"

"We're clearly not bunnies," said Azuma. He looked at me, "Why are you with a demon?"

"How did you even know?" demanded Rin.

"You smell like demon, Rin. Stop talking now," I said. I turned back to the twins, "It's rude to talk to people like that."

They sighed at the same time and puffs of smoke enveloped them. When the smoke faded they were sitting there in their not-so-human forms. "Happy now?" they asked.

"What the fu—" started Rin. "Shut up, Rin," I scolded.

"What _are _you doing with him?" asked Azuma. His dark hair fell over one of his eyes and the small, star-shaped tattoo under his left eye stood out against his pale skin. He stared at me with his expectant blue eyes.

"He's obviously her _boyfriend_!" said Azuna, giggling. She looked at me happily, winking. Her long, dark hair fell over one eye and an identical star tattoo showed underneath the other. Her blue eyes sparkled hopefully.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said, crossing my arms.

"Ouch," said Rin.

"Awwww," whined Azuna, "I'm sure papa would just _love _that!"

"No, he wouldn't," said Azuma.

"I know!" squeaked Azuna happily, "But it would be fun to watch him get angry!"

"I won't argue," said Azuma, standing up, "What are you doing here?" He cocked his head and stared at me. Azuna stood up and hung off of her brother, "Yeah, what _are _you doing here?"

"What are you planning?" I demanded.

"Oh…that," said Azuna, her smile fading. She suddenly got serious.

"Oh, it's going to be SO much fun!" said Azuma. _Shit, they did that creepy thing again_. They occasionally switch personalities. It's probably the thing that I hate the most about them. It always gives me the shivers. I guessed it was a side effect of having artificially acquired angel blood.

"We won't tell you," growled Azuna.

"Nope, nope, nope!" sang Azuma, "We won't!"

"You want to do this the hard way? Either way works for me…I've wanted to blow off some steam. It'll always end up with your dumb plan being foiled," I said calmly.

"I'll give you a hint," cooed Azuma, "It has to do with the Order!"

"Shut up, idiot! Daiki will kill us!" scolded Azuna, punching her brother.

Daiki: another part-angel. Unfortunately, he is one of the more powerful ones. _Damn, they're going to give away their entire plan before I even get to beat them. _

"Choose. The easy way…or the hard way," I said, moving my hands to my knives. I'd probably be able to take them on without transforming into my angel form. I couldn't do that in front of Rin. That would be a disaster. I was glad the twins didn't have wings…not that being able to transform into bunnies wasn't suspicious already.

"The hard way!" the twins chorused. They lunged for me at the same time. I did a backwards handspring to get out of their reach and drew my blades. I slashed out at them. "Grace!" I heard Rin shout.

"You're just going to stand there?" I called back. _This isn't good! _With the two coming at me at once I was having trouble. In my angel form I'd easily be able to fight them off, but not now. I was breathing hard already, deflecting their attacks and occasionally attempting to get my own in.

"'Course not!" Rin yelled. I grinned as blue flames lit up my peripheral vision. He must have drawn his sword because he was engulfed in flames. I stared at him and couldn't help thinking he was beautiful. My admiration for his flaming hotness—no pun intended—was interrupted by a kick to my chest. It knocked the wind out of me and sent me flying. My back collided with a tree and I slid to the forest floor. I tried to breath normally, but I couldn't regulate my oxygen flow. My vision was a bit fuzzy and my head hurt.

"Grace, are you ok?" shouted a disembodied voice.

"I'm fine!" I called back, trying to get to my feet. Brilliant blue lit up my still-blurry vision. I fell back on my knees when I'd fallen. _Damn, I'm glad Rin came…then again, it was him who distracted me. _

I clenched my eyes shut and curled up. For what seemed like a few seconds but was probably more like a few minutes, I lay there trying to regain my composure. Had I really hit my head that hard?

"Grace!" said a voice. I felt warm hands shaking me. "Grace!" I cracked my eyes open. My vision was, thankfully, back to normal. I moaned. My head was pounding.

"Ah, damn," I said, putting a hand to my forehead.

"Are you alright?" Rin asked, looming over me. I realized a few seconds later, (after staring at his worried yet handsome face for a few heavenly seconds), that his arms were wrapped around me. For some reason that went completely unknown to me, I didn't try and escape his grasp. It was comforting and warm.

"Yeah, I think so," I replied, answering his question. I tried to sit up, but it didn't work. Rin reached up and touched my forehead. I winced. His fingers came away with blood.

"Guess not," I said, slumping back into his arms, "What happened?"

"I beat those two up," he said, grinning down at me bigheadedly.

Normally I would have committed some act of violence after seeing him one-up me, but at that moment I just mumbled, "Thanks." I sat up again, slowly this time. I struggled to my feet, holding onto his arm. I walked over to the twins who were lying side by side, holding hands. They looked up at me wearily.

"You're friends with the Son of Satan?" Azuma mumbled. He was clearly back into the serious personality, which meant…

"Haahahhahaha, dad's going to _kill _you!" cackled Azuna. Yep, she's in the insane personality.

"What is Daiki planning?" I asked, kneeling beside them.

"An attack," mumbled Azuma, passing out.

I growled and turned to Azuna, "On who?"

"The Order's Headquarters!" chuckled Azuna. My eyes went wide, "When?"

"Not telling!" laughed Azuna, and then she passed out alongside her brother, her head falling on his shoulder.

I growled and stood up with Rin's help, "Damnit. I guess we'll have to take them with us." I needed to get more information from them.

"I can't allow that," said a voice. I looked up and tensed. Standing a few feet away, leaning against a tree, was Daiki. His usual red robes flapped in the gentle breeze that swept through the forest, nothing like the twins' matching and colorfully striped outfits.

"Daiki," I hissed.

"Before you ask, no…I won't tell you when the attack is. You'll have to find that out for yourself," he said, striding towards us. He flipped his wavy, bright red hair out of his eyes with a toss of his head.

"Daiki!" I shouted. He smiled and stepped towards the twins. I moved to stop him, but I was too late. The twins started to shimmer and disappear—that was Daiki's unique magic. They vanished completely and the smell of rotting flesh hit me. I winced and held my nose shut.

"Meet my new friends. I've found them quite easy to control…and very convenient!" he said and vanished, his bright orange eyes disappearing along with the rest of him.

"Daiki!" I screamed. He was gone.

"Grace," said Rin, nudging my arm, "I'll take care of this." I looked up and saw two-dozen ghouls stepping out from behind the tree, possessing human bodies. I nodded and watched him draw his blade. The trademark blue flames flew up around him and he launched into battle mode. Seeing him fight was amazing. It was the unbeatable power of Satan himself…well, my dad could probably beat him, though.

His fight was over just as quickly as it had started. I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. He sauntered back towards me, sheathing his sword. I grinned and crossed my arms. "Impressed?" he asked.

"Yeah, whatever," I said, playing it cool. I turned to walk away, but he swooped my legs out from under me.

"What are you—"

"You're injured. I'm not going to let you walk all the way back to the dorm," he said. I started to feel strangely sleepy. I let my head rest against his chest and embraced my exhaustion. Put me down, "I mumbled."

"Sure thing," he whispered back. I didn't feel his warmth leave me. I drifted to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading yet another chapter of my story! If you liked it, (and can't wait for the next chapter to be released), you can check out my other stories. They're for Fairy Tail. **

_**Please leave a review! It replenishes my will to write! Thanks! :)**_


	8. I Can't Love You

This is bad. This is really bad. An attack on the Order's Headquarters is imminent. To make that worse, it was Daiki who was planning it. He was one of the more powerful semi-angels out there. I clunked my head against the desk that sat in the corner of my dorm room. I sat up again, frustrated. I curled my legs up close to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, resting my head on my knees.

"What am I going to do?" I asked the air, not actually expecting it to answer me.

"Grace, did you hear?" yelled a voice. I jumped, losing my balance and knocking my chair over. My head slammed into the wooden floorboards and my chair clattered to the ground. _Why does he always barge in on me? I'm getting déjà vu. _

"Knocking, Rin…look it up!" I yelled, looked up at him. From where my head was on the floor, he looked upside down. I flipped over and sat up.

"We're going on another field training test!" he shouted. He smiled at me expectantly. I just stared at him.

"Yay?" I said, shrugging. I stood up and stretched my arms above my head. I itched my arm nervously.

"That's a good thing!" he said, obviously trying to convince me. I nodded and returned my chair to its normally upright position. I sat down again and leaned against my desk.

"We get to go out into the forest and fight monsters for three whole days!" he said, still not giving up on exciting me.

I snapped to attention, "Three days?!"

"Yeah!" he said, smiling. I guess he thought he'd excited me, but he'd only worried me and made me pissed off at the same time.

I leaned back and covered my eyes with my hand, "Why me?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. Rin hadn't asked me any questions about last night; that meant that either he was _really _stupid, (which was possible), or he was very considerate and respected my privacy, (which seemed a little less probable).

"Nothing," I mumbled, "When is it?"

"Tomorrow," he replied. I frowned. Great.

* * *

Yeah…it was in another forest. I was in a seriously bad mood for more than that reason, though. I needed to warn the Order before the attack so they'd at least be a _little _ready for it. If unprepared, they'd most likely lose. I worried. I was going crazy with worry.

"Grace," said a voice. I turned and saw Shima walked beside me. "Are you alright?" he asked.

I nodded, "Fine."

"You don't look fine," said another voice on my other side.

"Really, Bon…way to treat a girl," I mumbled.

"Would you rather I call you cu—" he stopped when my hands went to my daggers.

"Keep up, kiddies!" Ms. Kirigakure called over her shoulder. She really didn't seem like a teacher, but I wasn't going to argue with her. Shima, Bon, and I hurried to catch up with everyone else.

After walking for a while we finally found our 'campsite'. Well, it was more of a clearing. "Just as tiring as I remember it," complained Izumo.

"It's not that bad!" said Rin happily, still full of energy.

"That's because you're a demon," said Shima, panting.

"Grace, aren't you tired?" Shiemi asked. Rin narrowed his eyes. _Crap! _

"You guys are just wimps," I said, crossing my arms and shrugging off the comment as if it were no big deal. Rin kept staring at me.

"Alright, let's set up the tents and draw the circle!" ordered Yukio. I nodded and set to work.

* * *

Once our campsite was finally set up, I sat down on a conveniently placed log. It was dark now. I sighed and closed my eyes. _How am I going to sneak away to warn the Order? _

"I know I haven't asked you, but don't you think I deserve an explanation?" said Rin. I opened my eyes and saw him sitting beside me. My heart leapt when I saw him. I was painfully aware of how his arm was touching mine.

"I need to get out of here and warn the Order," I said matter-of-factly.

"Who were those people?"

"They're…_acquaintances _of mine," I replied. I wanted to tell him as much of the truth as I could.

"Are they demons?"

"No."

"What are they?"

"Not telling."  
"Why do they want to attack the Order?"

"I don't know."

"Are you going to try and stop them?"

"Yes."

"Can I help?" I was quiet for a few seconds, mulling his question over in my head. Pros: he was strong. If I had to get in a fight, he would be a big help. Cons: he's the enemy…_seriously, Grace, get it together! _

"No."

"Why?"

"Because…"

"That's not an answer."

"Because you're the Son of Satan!" I yelled, turning to him. I clapped a hand over my mouth. _Aaaaaaah…I just said that! Fuuuuuuu…_

His eyes were wide and he was leaning away from me. His expression soon turned from shock to anger, "What?"

"I didn't mean—"

"What? You think I'll turn into my father? Why does everyone hate me because I'm _his _son? He's not my real father!" he yelled, standing up. People were staring now. _No, Rin, that's not why! I can't love you because we're from different worlds…we're opposites! Wait…love? Why did I think that? _

I stood up too, "Rin, I—"

"Wow, Grace…I thought you were different. I guess I was wrong," he growled.

"You don't understand anything!" I shouted. He looked surprised for a moment and then only looked even angrier.

"You're right! I don't understand anything! You want to know why? Because _you _won't tell me!" he yelled.

"Calm down, you two," said Yukio, stepping towards us.

"I didn't even want to come here! It's _all _your fault!" I screamed, shoving his chest.

"How is it my fault!?" he yelled back, pushing me. I growled, "Don't _touch _me!" _What am I saying? What's wrong with me? Why am I doing this to myself!? _

"What are you going to do about it?" he taunted. That did it. My anger and exhaustion had finally gotten a hold of me. I swung at him, socking him in the face.

"Grace!" shouted Yukio. I ignored him. Rin looked at me, his eyes full of anger and blood gushing from his nose. It was most likely broken.

"Fine," he growled. He reached over his shoulder and took hold of his sword.

"What are you doing, Okumura?" shouted Ms. Kirigakure.

"Come on, Rin. Let's go!" I screamed. I launched towards him, my blades shimmering in the moonlight. He drew his sword, blue flames swirling around him. He launched at me, swinging his sword. I parried it with one dagger and slashed out with the other. My blade missed as he dodged to the side. I immediately launched at him again, attempting to anticipate his next move. It didn't work. With me in my normal 'human' disguise, I was much weaker than him. His leg struck me in the chest and I went flying. I fell to the ground, smashing my face on a rock. I felt warm blood trickle down from the corner of my mouth.

Rin stood above me, his sword pointed at me, "Give up?" That pissed me off. I struggled to my feet, his sword still at my neck. I was breathing hard. He wasn't. I felt my blood boil with anger. Every inch of me wanted to beat him. Every inch of me was filled with rage.

I glared at him. His eyes went wide. I knew why. Soft, golden light was emanating from me. I kept my wings concealed, but let my angelic blood empower me. I slashed out, knocking his blade out of his hands easily and holding my dagger to his throat. His was frozen, staring at me. Suddenly, reality started to take hold of me again. As my anger wore off I realized what I'd done. I was standing there, glowing.

"Grace! Stop this!" shouted Yukio. I was about to lower my dagger when I felt a strong force slam me against a nearby tree. I let my angelic light disappear. "Cooled your jets now, girly?" Ms. Kirigakure asked, pinning me against a tree. I looked to my left and realized that Yukio had pinned Rin to a tree as well. "Shiemi, grab us some rope," Yukio yelled. Shiemi nodded hesitantly and fetched the rope.

"You're trying us up?" asked Rin, stunned, "Seriously?"

"Yes," said Yukio sternly, "That way you can't kill each other." I didn't fight. There was nothing I could do. I'd been an idiot and let my anger beat me. I felt ashamed. On top of that I'd gone and lit up like a light in front of everyone.

* * *

The ropes were tight around my chest. I let my head droop.

"Grace," said Rin quietly. I didn't respond, just let my head hang there. Everyone was asleep now. "Grace, can you hear me?" he asked. I didn't answer. He made a disappointed _che _sound and turned away from me. I heard a fluttering sound and picked up my head. "So you were awake?" said Rin, sounding like his usual self. Had he already forgotten our fight a few hours ago?

"Cho!" I said excitedly, "Cho, I need your help." Cho cawed loudly and I worried it would wake the others up. I looked to the tents, but no one moved. Cho took a few steps forward and used her sharp beak to slice through my ropes. It took a while, but eventually the ropes fell slack again my thighs. I grinned and stroked her, "Good girl, Cho."

I stood up and stretched my arms above my head. I grabbed my daggers from where they lay a few feet away and sheathed them. I started to sneak away quietly. Now was as perfect a time as any to escape and get to the headquarters. I'd stolen the key from Yukio before we'd left on the trip, knowing I would need it. I thought it was hilarious that he hadn't noticed.

"Grace, take me with you!" Rin hissed. I turned to him and shook my head.

"I don't know what that was back there, but you have to take me with you. I don't care if you hate me or if you keep secrets from me…I…" he began. His voice trailed off.

"You what?" I asked, strangely longing to hear his next few words.

"Nothing…you wouldn't care…"

"How do you know?"

"Doesn't feel good to have secrets kept from you does it?" I stayed silent. "Fine, I'll tell you if you untie me," he said, nodding. I turned and walked away. As much as I wanted to hear his words, they weren't worth it. Cho cawed again and flapped up to my shoulder.

"Grace!" he hissed, "I'll wake the others up!" I turned to him and grinned wickedly, "You shouldn't have said that." I stepped towards him and leaned close to his face. I ripped off a piece of my shirt and used it as a gag. His eyes went wide and he tried to avoid it, but eventually I won. I forced the fabric into his mouth and he gave up the fight. "Now, be a good boy and _shut it_," I growled, standing up. I turned to leave and then hesitated. I turned around and looked at him. He was staring at me longingly.

I crouched down beside him again and whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry I keep secrets from you. There are some things I can't tell you, no matter how much I want to. I don't hate you because you're Satan's son. I actually think it's pretty cool. It's just that if _he _found out that…that I love you…he would probably kill me." I kissed his cheek and ran my thumb along the side of his face. He stared at me. I pressed my forehead against his and shut my eyes. A tear spilled down my face, "If he found out I might never see you again…so that's why I can't…can't be with you."

Rin made some muffled sounds but I couldn't understand them. "Bye, Rin," I said, standing up. I let my hand slide off of his face. He struggled against the rope and looked up at me desperately. The gag hid his yells. I smiled at him and turned away from him.

I stared forward resolutely. I'm sorry, Rin. I can't love you...not now, not ever. Order Headquarters…here I come.

**A/N: **

**...R-Review please? **


	9. My Secret Flies Away, Literally

I didn't really have a plan. I guess I intended to just wing it—don't laugh…I didn't mean to say 'wing'. I clasped Yukio's key tightly in my hand, Cho still on my shoulder, as I approached the corner of the building. I'd made it back to the town after I'd left the forest. I rounded the corner and saw the perfect door. I slid the key into the hole and turned it. Luckily, I'd taken the right key. When I opened up the door, I glimpsed the inside and saw something amazing.

I'd never been to the Order's Headquarters before, so I'd never had the chance to see it. It was amazing. Arching ceilings with elaborate molding towered above me. I slipped inside and shut the door behind me. My footsteps echoed on the shiny floor. A long hallway stretched as far as I could see, guards lining the walls. Doors lined the walls, no doubt each one leading to an extremely important room that was just as beautiful as the center of the headquarters.

"Who are you?" said a voice. I looked down from the mural of angels on the ceiling, (which I thought was pretty comical considering my position), and stared at the person in front of me. It was a guard and his spear was pointed directly between my eyes.

"Uh…sorry, I can't focus on anything with your spear in my face," I replied.

"How did you get here?" he demanded, not removing his spear.

"With this," I replied, raising the key.

He eyed the key and deemed it authentic. He eased back a bit but didn't lower his weapon, "We have no orders about a young girl. Why are you here?" He asked.

"Ando, who is that?" called another guard.

"That's what I'm trying to find out!" he yelled over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off of me.

"Look, I have important news for the Grigori," I said calmly.

"What news?" he asked.

I sighed, "I don't know if I can trust you. Let me see the Grigori."

"I don't know if I can trust _you_," he replied, "I won't let you pass unless you show me some identification."

"I'm not an exorcist," I said, hoping that wouldn't convince him that I was unreliable.

"Then I can't let y—" he started, but was interrupted by another, louder voice.

"News for the Grigori, you say?" he said. I narrowed my eyes, "Who are you?"

"My name is Arthur August Angel. I am the current Paladin," he replied. I was about to crack up at the sheer irony of his last name, but held it in.

"I need to warn the Grigori of something. I want to speak with them," I said.

"Not just anyone gets to see the Grigori, Miss," he said, taking a step towards me.

"You want the True Cross Order to be destroyed?" I asked, "Most likely along with the entire Vatican."

"I can't say that I do," he said, eyeing me.

"Then let me see them," I growled.

"Sir, I don't think we should tru—" started the guard.

"Shush. I sense something good in this girl. I will her see the Grigori." With that he turned to leave, his golden hair swaying behind him, "Are you coming?"

I nodded and strode as quickly as I could to catch up with him, my irksomely short legs working hard to keep up.

"I've chosen to put my faith in you, but I can't promise that the Grigori will. They may not believe you. Have you an idea of how to convince them?" he asked as we walked.

"Not at all," I replied confidently.

"I guess all I can say is good luck," he said, nodding as he pushed a tall, heavy door open. I stepped inside with him. It shut behind us with a loud thud that echoed throughout the giant room. Sitting on the opposite side, elevated above the rest of the room, were the Grigori. They sat side by side in their tent-like garments.

"Paladin, who have you brought?" asked the woman. Angel shoved me forward and I stumbled. I walked quickly to the center of the room.

"My name is Grace Sato. I've come to warn you about an attack on the Vatican," I said, trying to sound as confident as possible.

"An attack, you say?" said one of the men. He leaned forward in his tent.

"Yes," I replied firmly. I stood tall and did my best not to look like I was nervous…which I definitely was.

"By whom?" asked the woman.

"His name is Daiki," I replied.

"We've never heard of this _Daiki_," said another man.

"That's because he's not from this world," I said. _Crap, that sounded dumb_.

"You mean to say that he is a demon? Perhaps he is a demon king?" asked the woman.

"I-I…no," I said.

"Then what? Where is this man from? This man that supposedly is going to attack us," said the first man.

"F-from Caelum," I said meekly. I saw Angel face palm and shake his head out of the corner of my eye.

"Caelum?" asked the woman, most likely questioning my sanity. _How could I have thought that this was a good idea? _

"Yes, Caelum," I repeated.

"You expect us to believe that there is a _third world _that we have not discovered? After all the years that we've been battling demons from Gehenna, you mean to tell us that there is another threat? One that we have never even heard subtle mention of?" demanded the man.

I winced, "Y-Yes?"

"Get her out of here. Punish whoever brought her in!" ordered the woman.

Guards stepped forward and seized me. I struggled against them and an idea hit me. It was now or never.

"Wait, Honorable Grigori. You must reconsid—" Angel started. That was when the doors swung open, slamming against the walls.

"Grace!" shouted a voice. _Oh no. _

"Grace, why didn't you tell us?" asked a voice. _Oh crap, everyone is here_.

Rin caught sight of the guards who were still holding me. His eyes narrowed and he stepped forward. _I can't do this in front of Rin and the others! _

"Wait, Rin, don't!" I shouted. I didn't doubt that he intended to knock the guards senseless for touching me.

"The Son of Satan!" said Arthur. Clearly that hate that Rin had told me about was coming from Arthur. I couldn't stand it anymore. Time seemed to slow down. This was the moment of truth: I had to make a decision. Option one: I could choose the path that would lead to the savior of the exorcists and every single human in the world. Option two: I could follow my father's orders. I smiled to myself. It was as good an excuse as any.

I mentally prepared myself, a little nervous for their reactions. I closed my eyes and released my angelic energy. My body started to glow brightly, most likely blinding those around me.

"What is that?" yelled Angel.

"Grace!" I heard Rin shout. When the light faded down I had released my concealment. My wings were outstretched behind me. I'd knocked the two guards away with a flick of my wrist. I stretched my wings high above my head and rose to my full height. Whenever I was in my angelic form, my entire body glowed slightly, a heavenly aura surrounding me.

I beat my wings a few times and rose into the air. Within a few powerful strokes, I was at eye level with the Grigori. I landed on their long table, my combat boots thumping onto the wood, "Listen to me." One of the Grigori stumbled backwards and tumbled out of his chair, his tent cushioning his fall. He rolled around a few times, trying to get up in his strange clothing.

"A-Angel…" muttered the woman. I knelt down in front of her and raised my wings. They towered high above me, they're blindingly white feathers shining.

"You must prepare for an attack. They are part-angel. Angelic blood flows in their veins. You must be ready or you will die," I said to the woman. She nodded quickly and took in a huge breath.

"A-Attack! Prepare for battle!" she yelled to Angel. He nodded and smiled at me as if to say: I knew there was something special about you. I stood up and dove off of the table, falling to the floor. I caught myself with my wings and soared towards my new human friends. I landed gracefully, beating my wings a few times to slow down. I stared at the ground. Fear had taken hold of me. I didn't want to see their faces.

"G-Grace?" stuttered a voice. I kept staring at the ground. "Rin…I…" I squeaked, but I couldn't finish. I took in a deep breath and started again, "Rin, this is my secret. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you until now." I felt like curling up in a hole and dying. That is, until I felt something I didn't expect. I felt a warm hand touch my face, lifting it up. A tear slid down my cheek. When I looked up I saw Rin smiling down at me. He stood close to me and our faces were inches apart.

"I'm glad I know now," was all he whispered.

"You…you're not disgusted, or…or surprised?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised, but I could never be disgusted by you," he whispered. With that he leaned down and kissed me. I closed my wings around us, hiding us from the others who were staring at us in awe. His lips were warm, just like his flames. Our lips moved together. I felt his heart beating under my fingers and his warmth surround me. When he pulled away he smiled at me. "I meant to tell you when you left me gagged and tied to a tree…" he whispered gently to me, "I love you, too." I smiled and kissed him again, "I had a feeling you were going to say that."

"Do you think we should talk to the others?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me.

"Do we have to?" I asked, resting my head on his chest. "Probably," he replied. He reached up and touched my feathers gently. I shivered. I'd never let anyone touch my wings before. It felt nice and strangely tickly. He turned to me and kissed my cheek. I took a deep breath and lowered my wings. Everyone was staring at me.

Shima was the first to speak, "I always knew you were an angel." He smiled and crossed his arms, nodding.

"Don't lie, Shima," scolded Konekomaru.

"I'm not lying. She's always been an angel in _my _eyes…even before she sprouted wings," he said, smiling widely. I laughed a little.

"They're so pretty!" breathed Shiemi, clasping her hands together.

"Thanks?" I replied.

"I did _not _see that one coming," said Izumo, inexplicably calm. Actually, she looked a little bored.

"Does that mean _you're _her?" asked Bon, staring at me. I turned to him, "Her who?"

"My father…a long time ago he told me about an angel who saved his life. I thought he was crazy, but…"

"He told you about me?" I asked, smiling, "That's flattering."

"An angel?" breathed someone, clearly recovering from the shock a little slower than the rest.

"Yeah…wings and all," I said, spreading my wings out to their fullest.

Yukio kept staring, "I've been living with an angel?"

I was about to repeat the facts that I was, in fact, an angel, but before I could Shima yelled, "You've been living with her?"

I facepalmed, "Yukio, what have you done?"

"Ew, you were living with the Okumura brothers?" Izumo added.

"That's wrong on so many levels," said Bon, always the helper…not.

"They're not that bad," said Shiemi quietly. She was like a shy little kitten.

"Yeah, she's been living with us," said Rin, slinging his arm over my shoulders.

"Ah, shut it. It's not that normal for people of opposite genders to live together. But, seriously, that really does explain your whole radioactive glow-fest episode that you had last night," Ms. Kirigakure un-helpfully pointed out. I nodded and pulled my hair to the side, "Uh-huh."

"Are you two _together?_" asked Konekomaru.

"Yep," said Rin proudly.

I elbowed him in the rib cage. "Ow, what was that for? It's true isn't it?"

"An angel and a demon…" said Yukio, "Quite the pair, you two. But still, I'm proud of my big brother for finally getting himself a girlfriend."

Rin stepped forward angrily, raising his fist in protest, "Like you're one to talk!"

Yukio laughed, "You're right."

"B-B-But, I-I…" said Shima, stumbling over his words. He looked sad and dejected. I suddenly felt nervous. I guess that was because I sort of knew why he was getting depressed.

"You what?" asked Rin.

"Nothing," said Shima, shrugging off his sadness. _Wow, you're really dedicated, aren't you, Shima? _

Somehow, I hadn't thought that I'd be accepted like this. I guess I should have known better. These were my friends. They would accept me no matter what I was. Being me…wasn't a bad thing.

Suddenly, Cho, (who had flown off of my shoulder when the guards had grabbed me), fluttered down next to me. To my surprise, she started transforming. I guess I shouldn't call her a _she_, though. Standing in front of me was a man. He had auburn hair just like Cho's feathers. He had a fierce look in his hazel eyes and a strong build. He was wearing a normal T-shirt and cargo pants that were tucked into his tall boots. He looked just like your average guy.

"Ch-Cho?" I gasped.

"My name isn't Cho," he said. His voice was deep and manly, matching the stubble that was on his chin, contrasting against his tanned skin.

"Wh-who are you?" I asked.

"Your father."

* * *

**A/N: Wow. That was a bad cliffy. Sorry, guys! Next chapter'll be coming soon. Thanks for reading! If you liked the chapter, please leave a review. :)**


	10. My Weakness

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I was typing with an injured finger…it was painful. :'( Anyways, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

The blood rushed from my face. I was absolutely terrified. I took a step back, bumping into Rin. "Grace?" he asked. Either he was worried about me, or questioning the fact that I had a father and still grew up in an orphanage. _You're right, Rin…my dad did abandon me. _

The man who was in front of me took a long stride towards me. He raised his arm and backhanded me to the floor, "You fool! What have you done?"

I looked up at him defiantly, "What you didn't have the courage to do!"

"By doing this you've just shown our secret to the _entire _human world! I can't undo what you've just done!" he yelled at me. I stumbled to my feet, "I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not."

"Grace, are you ok?" asked Rin, taking a step forward. My dad glared at him, "I told you to _watch _him, not _fall in love _with him!" he growled.

"If you really didn't want me to come here, why did you untie my ropes back then?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

He turned back to me, "Because I didn't expect you to do something so idiotic!"

"You mean saving the entire human race?" I yelled back.

"You shouldn't have done it! I thought I could trust you!"

"The father who I've never met before shouldn't talk to me about trust!" I practically screamed.

That took him off guard, "You never missed me before." His voice was suddenly quieter.

"That's not true! If you were there the whole time as Cho, then you know what I went through! You knew and you _still _didn't try to help me. You didn't once think of taking me away? Of saving me?" I felt tears slide down my face. My father's face contorted in pain.

He looked down, "I-I promised your mother that I wouldn't ever speak to you." I stumbled backwards from the weight of his statement.

"_What?_" I gasped.

"Your mother was the only person I ever truly loved…and when she died, she asked me not to intrude on your human life," he mumbled. He raised a hand to his face.

"That's stupid!" I yelled, "Why would my mother want me to never meet the only family I have?"

"Because she wanted you to have a normal, human life!" he yelled back.

"That's impossible!"

"I still watched over you!"

"That doesn't matter! You did nothing!" I screamed. I raised my arm and my sniper rifle appeared in it, coming out of nowhere. I pointed the barrel directly at his head. I pressed it to his forehead.

He stared at me, "What are you going to do?" That only made me angrier. My finger trembled on the trigger. My gun was warm in my hands, my magic flowing through it. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. I dropped my arm, my gun vanishing, and fell to my knees. I let my wings slump against my back. I drooped my head. "Why did you leave me alone?" I breathed. I curled up, feeling strangely alone.

My father knelt beside me and touched my arm, "I'm sorry." I looked up at him, my heart tied in a knot.

"Sorry won't cut it!" snarled a voice. I looked to my left and saw Rin staring my father down. My father stood up and frowned at Rin.

"Rin, don't!" I said desperately.

"What kind of father leaves their kid alone for all that time in such a horrible place?" Rin growled.

"I don't think this is any of your concern, _demon_-boy," said my father, glaring at Rin. I stood up and grabbed Rin's hand, "Sorry, dad."

"You would choose a demon over your own father?" he said, outraged.

"As far as I can tell, you're the demon," I snarled. His eyes went wide. A plethora of different emotions flashed across his face. Anger, horror, sadness, regret…

"Fine," he said, his shoulders sagging. He sighed, "If you really think that, I'll leave. Clean up the mess you made." His body shimmered and faded into golden light. I let out a sigh of relief. I tightened my wings around me. It was something I did when I was nervous or scared. Having my own two wings wrapped around me gave me comfort and a sense of security.

Rin must have noticed my discomfort, because he pulled me close to him. I leaned my head on his chest and closed my eyes. "Sorry," he whispered to me.

I half-laughed, "I should be the one saying that."

"Grace, that was your dad?" Konekomaru asked. I nodded, "He's what you humans call God." They stared at me.

"Seriously?" asked Bon skeptically.

I nodded again, "Seriously."

"I figured that when I met God I'd be dead," said Izumo.

"I figured he'd be surrounded by shining, golden light and I'd hear angels singing or something," said Shima, sounding a bit disappointed. Then his eyes lit up, "Hey, Grace, you should sing. It'll perfect the experience."

"No," was all I said. Shima looked even more disappointed.

* * *

It had been a few hours after the whole betray-your-father fiasco. I was surprised at myself. I wasn't angry, but rather proud. I'd stood up to the man that was always above me…always bring me unemotional notes and looking down on me. I'd broken free of the hold that he had on me, and that felt great. Right now, though, wasn't the time to think about that stuff.

"Daiki is part-angel. He had angelic blood in him, artificially acquired. He's very dangerous," I said, my gaze drifting over the crowd of exorcists and soldiers below me. "Stay away from him if possible. I'll take him."

"Can you do that?" a man asked.

I looked at him and smiled, "Of course I can. Now, we don't know what to expect. All we know is that they're coming…we don't know what their plan is. Be ready for anything and everything."

I heard some of the soldiers murmur. "I've already given out your position orders. All I have to say now is good luck and don't die," I said, stepping off of the platform. I sighed and stretched my arms and wings above my head. I flapped my wings a few times and then tucked them close to me.

"That was inspirational," said Rin, walking towards me. I crossed my arms and smiled wryly, "I'd like to see you do better."

"No thanks. I don't have any intention of standing up in front of everyone," he said, shaking his head. He placed his hands on my hips and smiled down at me, "Are you ready for this…whatever _this _is?"

"I think so. Will you help me?" I asked. Daiki was probably as powerful as me if not more so. If father hadn't left me to deal with this situation on my own, (taking care of _his _'children'…the ones he chose to give angelic power to), then I wouldn't need to worry. He could probably slap them on the wrists and send them home like the powerful man he was, but he was angry with me…with good reason, too. I just had to suck it up and deal with all of this on my own.

"You didn't even need to ask," he said. He leaned down and kissed me gently. I smiled. It was nice having someone else in my life. I'd been alone for as long as I could remember, so having Rin and my other newfound friends was like my own personal heaven.

"Grace! Rin!" yelled a voice. I looked over and saw Shima waving to us. I grabbed Rin's hand and we walked towards the others.

"Where are our positions?" Shima asked. I frowned, "This is way too dangerous for Exwires like you guys. You're not part of this."

"What?" Izumo said, clearly offended.

"No offense, but you and Rin are Exwires too," said Bon, his arms crossed over his chest.

"We both know that there is a world of different between you guys and us…literally speaking," I said.

"Come on! We didn't even get to do anything on our field test because of you running away. Please?" said Shima.

"I believe we are stronger than you consider us to be," said Konekomaru, pushing his glasses higher on his nose.

"I don't know if I'll be able to, but I want to help as much as I can," said Shiemi shyly.

I shook my head, feeling my resistance crumble, "Just…stay away from the angels…ok?" I would let them be in the room, but not near our enemies.

"But we want to fight!" said Shima, sounding excited.

"No," was my final answer.

"You heard the angel," said Yukio, "And honestly, I agree with her. We know how dangerous these people are…I don't think it's a good idea for you guys to get too close."

I nodded, "Right, well…that's that."

That's when I heard a strange rumbling. I tried to discover the source and soon found out that the rumbling sounds were coming from the walls. I tensed up and looked around us. "You hear that?" I asked Rin.

He nodded, "What is that?"

"I don't hear anything," said Shima, scratching his neck.

"Me neither," said Izumo, crossing her arms. I shushed them. My rifle appeared in my arms. I aimed it at the source of the sound: a certain spot on the wall. I fired one powerful shot, bright light shooting from the barrel. There was a loud squeal. When the smoke from my shot cleared, a goblin fell dead to the ground. It disintegrated. It was a big one, too.

As one, all of the exorcists reacted, calling to each other and preparing for battle.

"Demons? Really, Daiki?" I asked no one in particular. I turned to Rin, "We need to find Daiki…I doubt he'll bring along the twins. They failed him once and he's not fond of disappointment."

He nodded, "I'll follow you."

I turned to the others, "Alright, guys. I take it back. Fight all you want. Just don't die, ok?"

"Alright!" shouted Shima, whipping out his monk's staff.

"I think I know the fatal verse of goblins," said Bon, grinning. I nodded and beat my wings powerfully. I soared into the sky, Rin drawing his blade. I hovered above the battle. Demons of all types had poured into the main hall. Exorcists were battling them, summoning familiars and chanting phrases. I saw swords shine and guns lighting up the entire hall. Demons screamed. Some men were already down. I scanned the crowd, looking for Daiki. I spotted Angel battling with a greater demon, slicing it open easily. _Worthy of the title,_ I thought.

I watched as another demon raised a fist to slam him to the ground. I aimed and fired a shot. Angel turned around and spotted me. He smiled and nodded. I winked at him, but I wasn't sure if he saw it because he had to slash out at another demon.

That was when a flash of red lit up the corner of my eye. Plowing through the crowd, downing humans and demons alike, was Daiki. "Rin!" I yelled down.

"I see him!" he shouted back. I aimed my rifle, but Daiki sensed me too quickly. I saw him stare at me and smile through my rifle's scope. I let loose a powerful blast from my gun, but he vanished. He reappeared in front of me in an instant.

"Well, that's not very nice, now is it?" he asked. I should have expected this. I knew about Daiki's teleportation, but that didn't stop me from being too surprised to attack. He knocked my rifle out of my hands easily. I growled and turned back to him, flapping my wings at a constant rate. It pissed me off that he could levitate without wings.

"It isn't nice to point a gun at your own brother," he cooed. I heard a scream from directly below us, but didn't look away from him. If I did, I would probably end up dead.

"You're not my brother. You're just a fake…you're not anything special," I snarled. I knew that would piss him off. He had a complex about not being as strong as true angels, and it bothers him when anyone mentions his falsehood. He looked really angry right now, just as I wanted him to be. When he was angry, he was sloppy and relied completely on his own rage. It gave me the upper hand. I grinned, but stopped when his face went blank. "Trying to make me angry? It won't work. You always were the one to spot others weaknesses…and not your own!" he shouted. I expected him to lung at me, but he didn't. Instead he shot downwards. I was too late to realize what was happening.

"Rin!" I screamed.

Rin looked up and his eyes went wide as Daiki plummeted towards him. He tried to raise his sword, but he was too late. Daiki struck him with his magic. A brilliant red light shot from Daiki's fingertips. He touched Rin's forehead and Rin's eyes went wide.

"No!" I screamed. I shot towards Daiki, but there was nothing I could do. Daiki dodged my attack a leapt away from Rin.

"What…what happened?" asked Rin, stunned. I stared at him, pushing tears away. A bright red symbol was glowing on Rin's forehead. I knew what it was.

"It's too late now, _Grace_," he said, grinning widely. He cocked his head and stared at Rin, "Well, little demon…should I kill you slowly or quickly?"

"What are you talking about? I feel fi—" Rin's words were cut off by a scream. He doubled over in pain, clutching his head and writhing. He fell to his knees,

"Rin!" I shouted again, running towards him. I wrapped my arms around his head and held it close to my chest, "Stop, please stop, Daiki? Why are you doing this?!"

"Because that stupid man is weak…he became too fond of humans. Worst of all, he became too fond of you!" he shouted.

"What?"

"Ever since I was young, it was always you! Grace this…Grace that. Whenever I saw father, he was always talking about you!"

"This is all because of jealousy?!"

"NO!" he screamed. Rin yelled out, tossing and turning on my lap. "It's because of revenge!" Daiki yelled. Rin was sweating and his eyes were rolled back in his head.

The tears I'd been trying so hard to keep in finally fell down my face. They splashed against Rin's chest. Daiki knelt beside me as I sobbed, "Want to know something interesting?"

I looked up at him angrily, "I want you to stop this!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I'll tell you anyway," he said, grinning at me wickedly, "There's a way you can save him..."

"What?"

"Follow me, _angel_," he said, rising to his full height and striding towards a nearby door. _You're right, Daiki. Rin is my weakness. I'm afraid of how you'll use it against me. I'm afraid._

* * *

**A/N: Ok, I wrote this entire chapter with an injured finger…I'm serious. Doesn't that deserve a review? Please? If you look up 'desperation' in the dictionary, you'd see a picture of me. O.o Please?**


	11. I Guess You Could Call This The Finale?

"Leave him here," said Daiki, staring me down. We'd gone through one of the hundred doors that lined the walls of the main hall.

"No, I won't leave him," I replied. I'd carried Rin from the main hall because I thought Daiki would release the spell he'd cast on him.

"Leave him or I'll kill him," Daiki growled. I dropped Rin, who was in a mini-coma right now. He grunted as his body clunked against the floor.

"Good choice," said Daiki, "Now follow me." I didn't argue. Daiki could kill Rin any moment. When he touched Rin's forehead with his magic he'd left his mark there. He now had total control over Rin's nervous system. He could cause Rin unimaginable pain or overload his nerves, killing him with his own pain without even twitching a finger.

I followed behind Daiki, my combat boots thumping with each footstep. We were walking down a long hallway. It was similar to the main hall, except a bit smaller and less fancy. It was darker, also.

"There's something I discovered…about myself," said Daiki, not turning to look at me. I glanced back and saw Rin still lying on the floor, the mark glowing on his forehead. His eyes were closed. If it weren't for the red flow peeking out from behind his hair, I'd have thought he was simply sleeping.

"Are you listening? I'm about to tell you something about me that you don't know," he said, walking faster. I forced my legs to speed up so that I could catch up to him. I cursed my tiny legs.

"I'm listening," I replied.

"Good. Well, this thing that I discovered was about my abilities…my skillset," he said, letting his voice trail off. A few moments later he spoke again, "I not only have control over the nervous system now…I can manipulate any part of the body at my will." My eyes went wide, but I didn't say anything. _This is bad…what is he planning?_

"Isn't that fascinating?" he questioned. I didn't answer. "Well, I suppose you can grasp what I mean to do by telling you this." I couldn't.

"It's a warning…of what sort, I won't tell you," he said. We rounded the corner. He offered me his hand. I eyed it skeptically until he started glaring at me. I took it. He grinned and kissed my hands. I fought the urge to curl that hand into a fist and enjoy some fist-to-face contact. I suddenly felt a strange buzzing feeling in my entire body. I blinked a few times and then realized that I was in a new position in the hallway, no doubt farther from where Rin was. I felt nervous. Daiki had used his teleportation.

"Anyway, I by 'any part of the body' I mean down to the very atoms that make you up," he said, staring at me. He leaned closer to me. I noticed that he'd started talking directly about me.

"What are you planning?" I asked, stepping back.

"I've just released your little devil from my grip. That should make you happy. Of course, it will take him a while to recover," he said, clasping his hands together. I couldn't help but feel a bit relieved.

"You know, Grace, I've always hated you," he said, looking at me with empty eyes, "Mostly because of your power. I've never had that…and I've wanted it for as long as I could remember. I am weak. That is my prevalent trait." I stared at him. He wasn't as weak as some, but he wouldn't see it that way.

"Grace, I want you to lose that. I want you to know what weakness is," he told me. _You're wrong…I do know weakness. I'm probably even weaker than you are, Daiki…I doubt you'd understand what real weakness is._

Daiki lunged forward, but I dodged him. I'd been expecting this. His fingertips were glowing red. "Are you trying to mark me?" I yelled, dodging him again.

"How else would I destroy your power?" he growled. I rose into the air, and spun around. I flapped my wings as hard as I could, trying to get away from him. No way in hell was I going to let him get near me with his stupid marks.

"Come back here!" he yelled after me. I expected him to teleport next to me, but he didn't.

"Like I would!" I called over my shoulder. When I caught a glimpse of him I realized he was smiling. I didn't know why until I slammed into something in front of me…or rather something slammed into me.

"Hello again, Gracey," said a voice. My heart sank.

"Why are you two here?" I asked, backtracking a few feet. Azuma and Azuna, currently in the form of twin eagles, were flapping rapidly in front of me.

"Bring her back to me!" Daiki called.

"To get you, it seems," Azuna said, her voice calm.

Azuma cackled, "Time to go…Gracey!" They slashed out at me, trying to grab my arms with their talons, but I dropped down a few feet, using gravity to my advantage. I twirled around and burst forward. I wasn't too worried about the twins catching me, but I still didn't want to be dragged back to Daiki. I wasn't going to let them get me. I flew forward, beating my wings as fast as I could. I didn't look behind me. As I flew through the hallway I got a weird sense that all of this had happened before.

I heard a cracking sound behind me, the wall of the hallway breaking open. Demons spilled out from the newly opened crevice. I couldn't believe that Daiki had sunk so low as to use demons to do his dirt work. Still, they were a legitimate threat. Unfortunately, goblins are pretty fast. I heard them getting closer and pushed my wings harder. My shoulders felt like they were going to be ripped off. I hadn't flown like this before.

I almost slammed into the wall, but caught myself with one powerful beat of my wings. I swung my body around and ran along the wall. I launched myself back into the air, returning to full-speed flying. I felt a biting pain in my leg and looked back to see what was hurting me. One of the twins had latched onto my shin and was digging their talons into my skin. I deduced that it was Azuma and shook him off after a few thrashes of my leg. I looked forward and saw something that came with a huge flood of relief.

_Daiki was always targeting me. He didn't care about the humans or anything they were doing. It was all a big plan to take my angelic powers. The twins spilling the beans was probably part of his plan also. _I beat my wings as fast as I could, propelling myself forward towards the distant blue glow. As I got closer I realized that Rin was also fighting demons. They'd poured through the door. I was glad that he'd recovered from Daiki's mark.

"Rin!" I screamed out desperately. He his flicked towards me and his eyes filled with relief. I beat my wings one last time before they gave out on me. My muscles were on fire and I couldn't push them any farther. I tumbled to the ground, rolling across the floor. I landed on one of my wings. I heard a loud cracking sound and incredible pain shot through me. I screamed. "Grace!" yelled Rin. I felt strange…like I was separate from what was happening. I watched as a wall of demons descended on me. Azuna and Azuma were there too. "Grace!" Rin shouted. I couldn't answer. My entire body was in so much pain that my brain was hardly functioning.

Blue light lit up my vision as Rin struck out at the demons. A river of blue flames poured down the hallway, eliminating all of the demons that it came in contact with. My eyelids felt heavy. Rin fell to his knees, having used up too much energy. He must have been fighting before I arrived. I lay limply behind him. He struggled to stand up again, but he was too weak. He collapsed next to me. He extended his hand towards me. His hands were bloodied and dirty. I reached forward, pain screaming at me to stop in my shoulder and wing. Our fingers barely touched each other, but it was enough for me. I let my eyelids sag. If I had to die, this wasn't that bad of a way to go.

As my vision became even blurrier and my eyelids began to close, I glimpsed a flash of brown in my vision. I heard a flurry of wing beats and a cawing sound. Blurry shapes—two of them—lunged for me. They were knocked aside by the brown figure. My eyes slid shut. I heard someone calling my name. The voice sounded soft and concerned. I smiled as I drifted away from myself, the pain in my shoulder getting the better of me. I held Rin's fingers tightly as I fell.

* * *

The first thing I was aware of was the pain. My eyes snapped open and I gasped out. I sat up, only worsening the throbbing that coursed throughout my entire body. I took in my surroundings, breathing hard. There were six beds in a row, four of them empty. I was taking up one of them. Lying in the other was Rin. He looked pale and for a terrifying moment I thought he was dead. Then he mumbled something like _"Cheese"_ and turned over. I sighed in relief.

I looked to my left and saw something I didn't expect. Passed out in an uncomfortable-looking chair beside my bed was my father. His head fell over the back of the chair and he was snoring deeply. His hands were crossed over his chest. The pain I felt had started to fade as I stopped moving.

"Dad?" I asked. His eyes flicked open and he raised his head.

"You're awake," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes and yawning. _Thank you, Captain Obvious. _He looked tired. Dark circles were visible underneath his eyes.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"Some human hospital. They said your wing was broken and that you had sustained several injuries."

I stared at him. My voice broke as I uttered my next words, "W-Will I be able to fly again?"

He stared at me, completely silent. My eyes widened in horror. I squeaked. He smiled, "I'm just kidding! You'll be fine!  
I was silent for a few seconds, "Oh my god! What kind of person says that?"

He chuckled as I realized what I'd just said. "No…I didn't mean to say god! Don't laugh! What's wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry…but your face was just so hilarious!" he said. He wiped tears from the corners of his eyes. I cracked a smile. As his laughing died down, he began to look serious, "Grace…I wanted to say that I'm sorry."

That got my attention. I hadn't expected him to ever say something like that. "I-I've done some horrible things in the past. I left you to deal with those idiots on your own…I put you and the humans in danger and…" his voice trailed off.

"Yeah…that was pretty dumb," I said. He looked up at me, "Wow…that was a really touching response."

"What? I'm just calling it like I see it," I replied, shrugging and then immediately regretting it.

"Dad…" I said quietly, "Were you the one that saved us?" It had been eating away at the back of my head since I'd spotted him passed out beside me. He was silent and looked down. Finally, he nodded. "Thank you…I guess," I muttered.

He looked up at me, tears in his eyes, "I met your mother a long, long time ago. She was beautiful, just like you, and I fell in love with her as soon as I saw her. I guess I should have known that you'd end up like me…falling in love even though worlds separate you…"

I stared at him, tears showing in my own eyes now. I pushed them away, "Dad, I—"

"Don't say anything yet…I'm not finished," he said, raising his hand, "I want to tell you this. I've always imagined what it would be like to meet you…and how you'd react. When I finally revealed myself, I was shocked. You were angry…and I understand that. I've been a poor excuse for a father and I know that. I'm not asking for your forgiveness, but I want you to know that I won't stop you. I won't stop you from being with the person that you love. I'd lost myself and ruined our meeting, but I don't want you to hate me. I want you to be happy."

The room was silent except for Rin's snores and his occasional mutterings of different names of food. "But he really is a strange boy…honestly," said my dad. I laughed out loud, a deep and true sound echoing throughout the room. Rin bolted upright and slid out of his bed. He landed on the floor and looked at me upside down, "Grace! Are we dead?"

"Yeah…sorry," I said, smiling.

"Well…that's ok. As long as you're here," he said, grinning widely.

My dad stood up and patted my head, "I'll leave you two, then." I grabbed his hand as it slid off of my hair, "Wait…will I ever see you again?"

"I don't see why not," he said, grinning at me. I smiled up at him as he slipped out of the room. I looked to my right where Rin was standing up. He walked over and sat on my bed beside me. It bounced and I winced, "Damnit, Rin…careful!"

"What? What's wrong?" he demanded, leaning closer to me. He scanned my body. It looked fine out the outside. My skin was already healed from the cuts I'd gotten. The only thing that was hurting was my wing. I guess it didn't heal as fast as the rest of me.

"I broke my wing," I said, looking at it. I didn't dare try to move it. Rin's eyes went wide and then he looked down. He covered his face with one hand, "I'm sorry…that I couldn't save you." His voice was so quiet that it was almost inaudible. I reached forward and lifting his chin. I smiled at him, "It's alright. If I wasn't such a wimp I'd have been able to save myself."

"That's not the problem!" he said, his voice suddenly loud, "I couldn't keep you safe. I wasn't able to be there for you when you really needed me! Do you know how terrifying that is? What if you're attacked again and I still can't protect you? What if you disap—" I leaned forward and cut off his words with my mouth.

When I pulled away I whispered to him, "I love you, Rin. Stop worrying. I won't disappear. I won't go anywhere…alright?" He stared into my eyes and then nodded slowly. He let his head drop onto my shoulder and I laughed, "You're such a scaredy-cat." His tail flicked behind him.

"I am _not _a scaredy-cat!" he insisted. I smile and stole another kiss from him. I intended for it to be a quick peck, but he grabbed my face and pressed me closer to him. Our kiss lasted a long time. I let his warmth surround me as he drew me in. His hand slid down my back. I shivered in delight, but jumped in pain as his hand knocked against my injured wing. "Ow!" I yelped. He drew his hand back instantly, his eyes wide, "Sorry!"

I smiled as the pain started to fade. I leaned forward and kissed him again, gently this time. When I pulled away our faces lingered close to each other. His eyes were still closed as he smiled. They cracked open lazily, "So…we're not actually dead, right?"

"Stupid as always," I whispered back, kissing him again. He shrugged and kissed me back. For once in my life, I'd finally reached the heaven that I'd always dreamed about.

* * *

Well, that's it. Yep. That's my story. What's the moral to the story? I don't know. You figure it out. Why did I tell it to you? Honestly, I just felt like I should write it down. It's just the story of how a girl finds where she belongs. I guess you could say that I wanted to share it with others...that maybe they could find some inspiration from it or...something. It's really up to you whether or not you take it to heart. Well...I guess thanks for reading all of it. I'm not going to lie...it was pretty tiring to write all of it down. I'm glad at least one person read it all the way through. I have to go. Rin's calling me. He probably wants food or something. Yeah, he's always been pretty stupid...but I love him for it.

I hope that you can find the same thing I have: a place where you belong...a home. Good luck. Maybe I'll read your story someday. Who knows? It's a small world...or should I make that _three_small worlds? It doesn't matter which one you're from...you'll find your home. Whether that place is in Caelum, Assiah, or even Gehenna...you'll find it.

Thanks for reading,

_**Grace Okumura**_

* * *

**Hey, everyone. I've gotten a few reviews asking for me to write more. I just wanted you guys to know that the story is officially **_**over**_**. HOWEVER! If you liked Grace and want to read a little more about her and her escapades, you should know that the sequel is published. Yay! It's called Clash of the Worlds. **

**Here's the new story's summary:**

Grace thought her story was over. She was happy going to school with Rin and her friends. She could never have expected what was to come. She is unwillingly ripped away from her friends. Being kidnapped by Satan isn't ideal. Grace will become the spark in a war between Heaven and Hell. Can she stay alive long enough to return to Rin's side, or will she lose herself along the way?

**Check it out! Oh, and don't forget to leave a review.** ;)


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